ANN ARBOR, Mich., Oct. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- MichBio’s BioConnections jobs program is expanding its successful paid internship program to the whole state of Michigan. Along with partner Washtenaw Development Council, the BioConnections program recently held meetings with business leaders, life science institutions and technology center members in Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids. Also, MichBio-BioConnections is planning a fall advertising campaign to notify emerging life science companies about BioConnections as a financial resource available to them in hiring.
“The Western state region is filled with outstanding life science talent,” said Andrea Kelly, BioConnections program manager. “The region has faculty, students, companies and research institutions working together to help companies grow their people and their products. Keeping talent and jobs in Michigan’s life science industry is a primary goal of MichBio and the BioConnections program.”
Kalamazoo area very receptive:
Standing room only as more than 40 scientists and staff and five area university career and science personnel came to hear about the BioConnections program at a luncheon held Tuesday, October 12 at Kalamazoo’s state-of-the- art, advanced facility -- the Southwest Michigan Innovation Center. Interest was very high and one company attending has already applied for the program as a result of learning of the benefits of the BioConnections Internship Program. Two Kalamazoo area companies, Kalexsyn and ProNAi gave testimonials on their experiences with the BioConnections Internship Program.
“BioConnections makes it as simple as two emails to setup an internship,” said Robert Forgery, chief operating officer of ProNAi Therapeutics. “There is no massive paperwork, time and headaches. The intern we located has worked out well.”
Grand Rapids area taking off:
Touring the new laboratory facilities located at West Michigan Science and Technology Initiative (“The Initiative”), where MichBio recently opened a regional office, and the nearby Van Andel Institute revealed a community working together on the development of new life science products and technologies at an impressive pace. Grand Valley State University is a key partner to the initiative, where all partners pool their resources to develop applied sciences.
On December 7, MichBio, with Arboretum Ventures, will hold its quarterly “Sprouts” meeting at Cook-DeVos Center for Health Sciences from 4:30-7 p.m. It will feature guest speaker Christophe Severain, managing director of Delphi Medical Systems (Troy, MI). This is a free event, requiring online registration at http://www.michbio.org/ .
About BioConnections
BioConnections is Michigan’s response to finding qualified candidates with specialized skills to fill positions in the life sciences industry. BioConnections is a collaborative program of industry partners. The partners include the following: STATPROBE Onsite, a full-service staffing firm; Search Masters International, a scientific executive consulting firm offering services to the Biotech and Pharmaceutical industries that range from project- base solutions to executive retained search; the Washtenaw Development Council, the lead economic development organization for the Ann Arbor / Ypsilanti area; and BioSpace, a web resource for jobs, news and information for the life sciences market. The BioConnections program is funded by a three year, $1.1 million grant from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC)
About MichBio
MichBio is dedicated to driving life sciences industry growth within the State of Michigan. For new and established biosciences companies, MichBio provides a community focal point by offering networking and educational events, a roster of support services, and a portal to state and national information. MichBio represents biosciences companies, academic and research institutions, bioscience service providers and related organizations. MichBio is focusing on the human resource, funding, and infrastructure issues affecting the state bioscience industry. MichBio is affiliated with BIO, the national organization that represents biotechnology companies across America.
MichBio
CONTACT: PR Contact: Jessica Annaloro of Eiler Communications,+1-734-761-3399, jessica@eilerpr.com , for MichBio; or MichBio Contact: AndreaKelly, BioConnections Program Director, +1-734-615-9670,andrea@bioconnections.org
Web site: http://www.michbio.org/