Delaware Valley Innovation Network Awards First Innovation Investment Grant to the Wistar...( PHILADELPHIA July 1 -- The Delaw...)

PHILADELPHIA, July 1 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Delaware Valley Innovation Network (DVIN) announced today the award of its first Innovation Investment Grant. The Wistar Institute will receive $89,000 to support the Wistar Biomedical Technician Training (BTT) Program, a two-year workforce development program in biotechnology and biomedical research.

The BTT Program provides Community College of Philadelphia (CCP) students instruction and hands-on experience training while preparing for careers as Biomedical Technicians. "We see tremendous value in supporting a pipeline of talented students from the Community College of Philadelphia through real work experience at the Wistar Institute, various industry laboratories and the Fels Institute," said Helen Groft, Project Director of DVIN. "These students will be able to jumpstart their careers and employers will have experienced candidates to hire."

The Innovation Investment Award will support the Wistar Institute-CCP partnership and provide training opportunities for 17 first and second year students through CCP's new Center for Science, Engineering and Emerging Technologies. Dr. William Wunner, Director of the Biomedical Technician Training Program said, "The BTT program equips promising community college students with a better understanding of cancers, genetics diseases, autoimmune diseases, and a multitude of related conditions that affect human and animal health."

Since 2001, life science companies and affiliated institutions where students participating in the BTT program have included:

-- Centocor (Radnor, PA)

-- Cephalon (West Chester, PA)

-- Charles River Laboratories (Malvern, PA)

-- GlaxoSmithKline (Collegeville, PA)

-- Neose Technologies (Horsham, PA)

-- Tengion, Inc. (East Norristown, PA)

-- University of the Sciences in Philadelphia (USP)

-- Fels Institute of Temple University

The Wistar Institute will be work
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