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Workforce Data

Specialized Biotechnology Training Initiatives

  • City College of San Francisco offers a comprehensive curriculum in industrial biomanufacturing.
  • Genentech supports two programs at Skyline College in San Bruno, preparing students for work in biologics manufacturing plants, such as those Genentech operates in Vacaville, San Francisco and Oceanside. Skyline also offers an associate's of science degree with a biotechnology focus, preparing graduates for entry-level technician positions in R&D, quality assurance/quality control and manufacturing.
  • The "Biotech Partners Program" is a nonprofit organization created in 1993 through the collaborative efforts of Bayer HealthCare and the city of Berkeley, with support from more than 35 corporate, government, education and industry partners. "Biotech Partners Program" that focuses on hands-on science and technology curriculum and serves125 to 150 students annually. Upon completion, students receive a "Certificate of Achievement in Bioscience".
  • UC Berkeley received a five-year, $5.6 million grant from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation for a Biology Scholars Program that helps undergraduates from underserved communities become competitively qualified for admission to medical and graduate schools.

World Class Life Science Research Cluster

  • Northern California has a wealth of top-tier life science research and medical institutions. Five major research universities—Stanford, University of California (UC) Berkeley, UC Davis, UC Santa Cruz and UC San Francisco—and three medical school—Stanford, UC Davis and UCSF—are located in Northern California. It is common practice for senior faculty and clinicians to rotate between university and private sector positions. As a result, more bioscience companies are located in Northern California than anywhere else, and an average of 30 more companies are founded each year in the area. San Francisco's UCSF gave rise to nearly 70 spin-off companies with direct roots to UCSF inventions, technology and personnel. In total UC scientists have founded one in three biotechnology companies in California, including five of the world's 10 largest companies—Amgen, Applied Biosystems, Chiron, Genentech and Idec Pharmaceuticals.

Center of Innovation

  • In addition to university-based research, the Bay Area is home to many well-funded and highly respected federal and private research institutions, including The Western Genome Project, Lawrence Berkeley Livermore National Lab, NASA Ames, SRI International and the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center. Some of the largest producers of biotech research also call the Bay Area home—they include Abbott Laboratories, Chiron, Boston Scientific, Acuson Corp, Gilead Sciences, Pfizer, Fibroen, Merck, Five Prime Therapeutics and Cell Genesys.

Available Talent Pool

  • The San Francisco Bay Area enjoys a unique collaborative effort between industry and academia in developing the region's biomedical workforce. The Bay Area's learning institutions and private companies guide, shape and in many instances help fund faculty, develop curricula and provide hands-on training.