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Mason leads planning study to position Northern Virginia as a premier location for the life science industry

Melanie Balog — Fri, 17 Mar 2023 21:04:09 +0000

Mason leads planning study to position Northern Virginia as a premier location for the life science industry Melanie Balog Fri, 03/17/2023 - 17:04

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PJ Maddox, EdD, MSN, RN

Caroline Sutter, DNP

During the past several years, industry demand for a skilled life science workforce has been surging. In Virginia, while there are currently shortages in almost all health-related professions, little is known about whether there is an adequate supply of life science workers to meet the needs of employers. Now ��AV is working toward a solution.

In partnership with Phoenix Advantage, a Virginia-based economic development and business consulting firm, Caroline Sutter of Mason’s College of Public Health; Amy Adams, executive director of the Institute for Biohealth Innovation; and their team have received a life science talent pathway planning grant from GO Virginia, a state-funded initiative administered by the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development.

Microbiology students are part of the life sciences workforce pipeline.
File photo by Lathan Goumas/Strategic Communication

With the assistance of the award, they will be assessing life science employer needs, employment trends, workforce supply, and demand projections in Northern Virginia. Provided that future funding is secured, they intend to use their findings to facilitate the expansion of the life science worker pipeline.

“A robust workforce is a vital component of a thriving life science industry,” said Susan Baker, managing director of GO Virginia. "GO Virginia is proud to support an effort to establish Northern Virginia as an area that is able to respond to the needs of a steadily growing market."

According to Adams, the first step of the project will be to create a comprehensive list of companies who hire individuals in the life science sector, such as digital health firms and biomanufacturers. From there, Phoenix Advantage will schedule interviews with the identified employers in order to better understand their priorities and what they consider to be the ideal skillset in the future workforce.

In tandem, the Mason Center for Health Workforce (MCHW), directed by Sutter and P. J. Maddox, will leverage data from the Commonwealth of Virginia to assess the future pipeline of workers, including secondary school and higher education students. Established in 2022, the MCHW plays a leading role in health workforce planning and development across Virginia. The center has collected extensive data related to health workers and will expand to include life science personnel with this project.

“The health care workforce is in flux; demand is high just as burnout, turnover, and rising labor costs are diminishing the supply of qualified staff,” said Sutter, who is also an associate professor in Mason’s School of Nursing. “The Mason Center for Health Workforce helps organizations, communities, and the commonwealth use data for decision-making to create short-term solutions and long-term strategies.”

Seeing tremendous value in the team’s effort to optimize life science workforce preparedness, the Claude Moore Foundation, a nonprofit organization in Virginia and a key funder of the MCHW, provided matching funds for the planning grant.

A VR Simulation Lab training class. File Photo by
Shelby Burgess/Strategic Communications

“The vibrancy and growth of the life science ecosystem in Northern Virginia depends in part on our ability to understand workforce needs and to attract and train talent,” said Bill Hazel, the senior deputy director of the Claude Moore Foundation. “This grant will allow us to inventory those needs and to strengthen our talent pipeline.”

The next step of the project will be to identify existing education and training programs so that redundancies can be avoided and potential gaps can be addressed. Finally, an analysis will be performed on how workers and employers are currently matched in the life sciences industry.

Adams said she believes the Northern Virginia region has immense potential to be the destination for life science companies to reside and prosper. She added that she hopes the team’s work will result in the formation of programs that motivate students to pursue careers in the life sciences.

“We want to reach students at early stages and show them that the life science career path is one that is extremely rewarding; you are able to touch many lives around the world by developing innovative solutions to advance health,” said Adams. “By sparking inspiration, we can also help companies in our region flourish by ensuring access to a well-prepared and sufficiently sized workforce—both are what drive us.”

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��AV tech mentorship program to expand support to early stage tech companies across the commonwealth, with help from GO Virginia grant

Colleen Rich — Mon, 12 Jul 2021 16:45:19 +0000

��AV tech mentorship program to expand support to early stage tech companies across the commonwealth, with help from GO Virginia grant Colleen Rich Mon, 07/12/2021 - 12:45

Fairfax, VA—Mason Enterprise at ��AV has been awarded a GO Virginia grant to expand its network of tech mentors. The funding will support the Innovation Commercialization Assistance Program (ICAP), a program under the Virginia Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Network, doubling its capacity to assist technology and innovation-driven startups across Virginia.

Between 2018 and 2021, more than 600 companies across the state accessed ICAP services and went on to generate $40 million in new capital. These companies represented diverse ownership: 47% were minority-owned, 32% were women-owned, and 12% were military/veteran owned.

“We are excited about the opportunity to partner with Mason and support the tech mentorship team,” said Susan Baker, managing director for GO Virginia Region 7. “This initiative promises to help entrepreneurs grow and scale. Projects like these greatly impact the economic growth and diversification of start-ups statewide, particularly after the challenges of the pandemic.”

ICAP’s proposed work, which will be funded through GO Virginia’s Economic Resilience and Recovery Program, addresses a statewide need for tech-focused mentorship, capital, and business support services.

“This grant couldn’t be more timely for our work,” said Paula Sorrell, associate vice president of innovation and economic development at Mason. “As Northern Virginia and the Commonwealth of Virginia forge a path out of the pandemic, entrepreneurs and innovators will be leading the way in creating a diverse and resilient tech economy that works for everyone, and the mentors will be there to support them every step of the way.”

ICAP employs a network of mentors across the commonwealth with expertise in launching and scaling technology and innovation-focused companies. The mentors, who are themselves experienced tech entrepreneurs, advise startups on strategy, customer acquisition and attracting funding. These services are provided to client companies at no cost to them and create an exponential return on investment to Virginia’s economy.

“We are extremely grateful for this support from GO Virginia,” said Jody Keenan, state director for the Virginia SBDC Network. “ICAP has helped so many businesses get off the ground and weather the impacts of last year’s crisis, and this grant will enable us to do even more. We want to be able to provide reliable, dedicated and customized support to any tech startup anywhere in Virginia, no matter which stage they are in.”

The tech mentor team will leverage the Virginia SBDC’s 27 regional offices across Virginia. They will also lean on ICAP’s more than 60 statewide partners including accelerators, technology councils, economic development organizations and investors.

“We were really pleased to get statewide support for our project,” said Keenan. ‘’We look forward to creating new alliances that ensure wider access for Virginia’s entrepreneurs.”

About ��AV

��AV is Virginia’s largest public research university. Located near Washington, D.C., Mason enrolls 39,000 students from 130 countries and all 50 states. Mason has grown rapidly over the past half century and is recognized for its innovation and entrepreneurship, remarkable diversity, and commitment to accessibility. Learn more at www.gmu.edu.

About Mason Enterprise

Mason Enterprise provides a suite of programs, incubators, and business advisors that support research lab-to-market, tech startup, and small business activities. Launched in 2018, ICAP contributes to building Virginia’s technology competitiveness by helping inventors and entrepreneurs bring new innovations to market. The program is run by Mason’s Virginia Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Network that provides advising, support and training to small businesses and future entrepreneurs.

Mason Media Contact: Angelina Jarrouj, Office of the Provost, ajarrouj@gmu.edu

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Mason leads planning study to position Northern Virginia as a premier location for the life science industry

In This Story

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����AV tech mentorship program to expand support to early stage tech companies across the commonwealth, with help from GO Virginia grant

Topics

��AV tech mentorship program to expand support to early stage tech companies across the commonwealth, with help from GO Virginia grant