Utah Bioindustrial Manufacturing: An Ecosystem to Grow for the Future 

Members: Utah STEM Foundation, Talent Ready Utah, Checkerspot, Technology Holding, Utah Valley University, Salt Lake Community College 

Project dates: 2023 - 2025

This project helped build a clear pathway for students to enter careers in biomanufacturing, starting in middle school and high school, and continuing into Utah’s public colleges and universities.

Graduate students designed and built low-cost bioreactors, which were distributed to K-12 classrooms across the state to introduce students to the fundamentals of bioindustrial manufacturing. These bioreactors were paired with tailored curricula and educator training to introduce students to hands-on biomanufacturing concepts as early as seventh grade, such as during a unit on cellular biology.

To improve and inform hiring within the bioindustrial manufacturing industry, project leaders also created a skills matrix for common roles in biomanufacturing as well as a set of stackable credentials, which increase access to careers and continued education for advanced skills development.

This work also informed updates to the Utah State Department of Education’s biotechnology standards and successfully added a pathway, or strand, for bioindustrial manufacturing. The revised standards and new strand were implemented in fall 2025.

This project demonstrates how early exposure, hands-on learning, and coordinated career pathways can cultivate a skilled workforce ready to meet the demands of the biomanufacturing sector.    

Funding source: U.S. Department of Defense