On October 3-4th a team of FCOED staff participated in the 2022 Bio Innovation Conference presented by Maryland Life Sciences (a division of the Maryland Tech Council) in Bethesda, MD. This year’s conference showcased the state’s and region’s innovations and successes in the life sciences industry, with a strong emphasis on the strength of the cell and gene therapy clusters within our state.
During the conference, FCOED had the opportunity to interact with professionals from industry, higher education, and government to discuss emerging trends, identify challenges and gain deeper insight into the future of Maryland’s growing life sciences industry. Maryland is currently ranked #4 in the nation for its biopharma cluster with a goal to reach #3 in 2023. With a strong cluster of over 100 firms and top industry leaders, Frederick County contributes greatly to Maryland’s position as a top location for life sciences firms. The conference was an excellent forum to meet with prospective clients that may be interested in locating in Frederick County and our team discussed several business development opportunities.
Frederick was well represented at the conference with panel presentations by Hood College and Kite Pharma. Kite Pharma presented a powerful message about the life-saving work performed daily in their Frederick biomanufacturing facility and the critical importance of the extensive training that new staff undergoes to prepare them for working with patient cells. Through several educational sessions, FCOED staff learned about current and emerging trends and programs for workforce development, the future of automation in biomanufacturing, and the life cycle of financing for emerging biotech firms. Hood College participated in the Workforce Readiness panel that included discussions on establishing clear career pathways to provide skills mastery. Other workforce topics included new data on the role of nontraditional workforce development where the focus is on skill mastery and how that impacts traditional recruiting methods.
