National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals (NIIMBL) eXperience Program
June 2–6, 2025
Apply by February 7, 2025, 5:00 pm ET
The University of Houston — a Tier One, minority serving institution — is thrilled to welcome college freshmen and sophomores to the National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals (NIIMBL) eXperience Program. NIIMBL eXperience is a one-week, all-expense paid learning program designed to expose students to promising careers in biomanufacturing. Greater Houston prides itself as one of the most ethnically diverse areas in the country and the city’s rich diversity is embodied in UH’s dynamic student population.
- NIIMBL eXperience at UH seeks to promote workforce diversity in biomanufacturing industries and encourages participation of African American, Hispanic, Native American, and other minority students from Houston, the state of Texas, and other US colleges and universities.
- The program is all-expense paid and will cover travel, food and lodging in one of the UH student dormitories.
- Participants will also receive a $1000 stipend!
- Learn more about the NIIMBL eXperience
- Apply by February 7, 2025, 5:00 pm ET.
Program Benefits
- Students will gain an appreciation of how diversity makes for a dynamic and productive working environment.
- Students will learn about the diverse personnel roles, career paths and many employment opportunities in biomanufacturing.
- Students will develop a better understanding of the drug development, manufacturing, and approval process.
- Students will acquire hands-on experience in cleanroom gowning, using cell culture aseptic technique and downstream protein purification by chromatography.
- Students will learn strategies to strengthen their personal brand and compose winning resumes.
- Students will be able to build a professional network that to help them land biomanufacturing jobs in Houston.
- Students will learn about generous employment benefits offered by biopharmaceutical companies.
- Students will be convinced to pursue careers in biotechnology and biomanufacturing.
Learning Approach
- We will visit several biomanufacturing companies where students will engage with industry professionals and gain insights into their diverse roles within their organizations and the career trajectories that they pursued.
- Human resources personnel will describe employment prospects in biomanufacturing, employee benefits and present important advice on navigating corporate culture.
- Company visits and lunches with UH Biotechnology students will provide plenty of networking opportunities to facilitate future job placement.
- We will tour the Texas Medical Center, where many hospitals serve as pivotal research and clinical trial centers for testing investigational drugs. The TMC Innovation Center and the J&J Innovation Labs house many startup companies dedicated to pioneering medicines for the future.
- Students will attend lectures and hands-on training delivered by experienced San Jacinto College instructors on cleanroom gowning, aseptic manipulation and downstream protein purification by tangential flow filtration and AKTA chromatography.
- Distinguished experts will guide students on crafting winning resumes, enhancing their personal brands and polishing their interview and networking skills.
- Speakers from NSBE and SHPE will share their invaluable experiences as minority professionals in the corporate world and the STEM field.
The itinerary includes visits to biomanufacturing companies:
Immatics and CTMC manufacture cell therapy products for cancers. Neurogene, develops gene therapy for rare neurological disorders. Lonza Biologics, is a world-renowned contract manufacturer for cell and gene therapy drugs for sickle cell anemia and other hereditary disorders. Hope Biosciences is engaged in manufacturing stem cells for lupus and traumatic brain injury.
San Jacinto College Biomanufacturing Training Center instructors will lead a two-day hands-on biomanufacturing training in cleanroom gowning, contamination control, aseptic manipulation including biosafety cabinets, tube welding and sealing and downstream processes including tangential flow filtration and protein separation by AKTA chromatography.
