Impact the Future of BioMADE by Joining a Committee

BioMADE committees and subcommittees are an excellent opportunity to network in the industry, meet like-minded colleagues, and develop professionally. We need your creativity and expertise to meet our collective ambitious objectives for building a bioindustrial manufacturing ecosystem. 
 
Participating on a (sub)committee is one of the best ways to influence the direction of BioMADE. (Sub)committee members will guide future iterations of the Roadmaps and Blueprints that inform Project Calls and the overall direction of BioMADE. Decisions and suggestions made through subcommittees will directly translate into action that impact the entire BioMADE ecosystem. Get your seat at the table while BioMADE is shaping the future of bioindustrial manufacturing in the U.S.! 

Details and Expectations 

Each subcommittee will be led by a co-chair from the Technical, Education and Workforce Development, or 4S (Safety, Security, Sustainability, and Social Responsibility) Committee. Consider joining a subcommittee where you already have expertise, or join a subcommittee for an area in which you’d like to grow and aren’t currently an expert.  

You may apply to join more than one subcommittee if you wish. Note that Technical subcommittees are not open to Training tier members.  
 
Scheduling and the time commitment will vary by subcommittee, but members should generally plan to meet virtually monthly for one hour and spend 2-6 hours per month working outside of meetings (1-4 hours per month for 4S Subcommittees). Activities may include conducting research, pulling together best practices, identifying workshops and professional development opportunities, engaging with other members on their projects, evaluating research directions, and more. Many activities of the subcommittee will be driven by the subcommittee itself. The time you spend participating on subcommittees may be reported as part of the in-kind annual membership dues for your organization.  

Technical Subcommittees 

  • Digital Backbone: Help create a digital infrastructure for community-wide adoption 

  • Strain and Strain Engineering: Advise on data analytics, strain onboarding, and strain engineering as it impacts scaling 

  • Fermentation Scale-Up: Guide decisions on fermentation process onboarding, low-cost cultivation, sensors and assays, and materials testing and evaluation 

  • Downstream Processing: Inform on downstream processing infrastructure, automated data collection and simulations, and recovery optimization 

  • Commercial Readiness: Engage with members on technoeconomic analysis and life cycle analysis, BioMRLs, Representative Production Scenarios, and supply chains 

Education and Workforce Development Subcommittees  

  • Curriculum Development: Assess BioMADE’s training materials portfolio and impact, including distance learning, and instructional design. Identify existing and new resources for increasing workforce capacity, including flexible learning strategies 

  • Industry Workforce Needs Assessment: Identify and assess industry-identified workforce skills and competencies

  • Member Professional Development Activities: Develop opportunities for career enhancement and foster educational growth

4S (Safety, Security, Sustainability, and Social Responsibility) Subcommittees: 

BioMADE is committed to upholding safety, security, sustainability, and social responsibility as we work together to build the bioindustrial manufacturing ecosystem. Each 4S subcommittee will convene representatives of BioMADE member organizations with expertise and interest in one of these core pillars of the 4S program, and will contribute to planning virtual dialogue, creating member resources, and guiding strategic priorities within these domains. Scope for the new 4S subcommittees is as follows, subject to input from co-chairs and participants.

  • Safety: Contribute to resources and information sharing regarding measures taken to protect people and the environment from harm.

  • Security: Organize dialogue and programming relating to measures taken across the industrial biomanufacturing and biotechnology sectors including food and agriculture, materials, and energy, to manage potential threats and loss due to theft, misuse, diversion, unauthorized possession of property or intentional release of biological risk and/or technology.

  • Sustainability: Guide programming related to considerations of the impacts of products and processes on the environment, supply chain, and public acceptance and practices to support the long-term stability of the environment and economy due to advancing biomanufacturing processes.

  • Social Responsibility: Contribute to shared capacities for responsiveness to society's needs and values, public and community engagement, and equity in the distribution of risks and benefits from bioindustrial manufacturing.

What’s next?

Reach out to committees@biomade.org with any questions. We can’t wait to get started!