Igniting Onramps from HBCUs to Biotech Innovation & Startup Success

Join us for a special LabCentral Ignite virtual event to mark Black History Month 2022. The event is part of our 2nd annual Fire Circle Series, conversations meant to fuel knowledge, connection, and actionable change toward addressing systemic underrepresentation in the life sciences.

Given that 25% of the nation’s African American graduates with degrees in STEM fields are graduates of Historically Black Colleges or Universities (HBCUs), the biotech industry must have high levels of engagement with these institutions.

However, the geographic separation between the country’s HBCUs and the top three biotech hubs (Massachusetts, San Francisco, New York/NewJersey), make it critical that the routes into the industry be collaboratively engineered by our country’s minority serving institutions as well as industry hiring organizations.

• Hear from a panel of experts and join breakout groups to explore questions like:
• What are the biggest challenges for students from HBCUs feeling comfortable making a geographic jump to a new region for their early career?
• How does building inclusion and belonging within hiring organizations play into attracting talent from HBCUs?
• How can institutions with significant minority student bodies create opportunities for exposure to biotech clusters most effectively?
• How can professors and educators build ongoing exposure to the opportunities in biotech innovation hubs?
• What can advocacy groups, state/city agencies, nonprofits, and other third parties do to assist in attracting and retaining talent?