Members and Friends,
For the first time, Virginia’s life science organizations will have a central location for its resources, jobs, and events. With the launch of the web portal Virginia Bio-Connect (vabioconnect.org), individuals from across the country and the world will be able to obtain a broader picture of the life sciences assets that the Commonwealth brings to bear.
As you will recall, in December 2020, the Virginia’s Growth and Opportunity Fund (GO Virginia) awarded Virginia Bio and partners from five partner GO Virginia regions a two-year, $3.2 million industry cluster building grant. This grant is the Commonwealth’s first such investment to strengthen the biotechnology industry cluster. Virginia Bio and its regional partners are currently executing the “Virginia Bio-Connect” program with these funds. The program is building the infrastructure needed to connect and sustain an integrated statewide life sciences network while at the same time strengthening each regional life sciences cluster.
The portal vabioconnect.org is a significant component of this vital infrastructure. In addition to providing information regarding our assets, it also allows individuals and entities to register to enable more advanced connectivity with others and share jobs, events, and newly-provided resources. It also will serve as the central node for accessing our regional BioHubs’ websites, providing a singular, virtually-integrated ecosystem, thus making it easier for those inside and outside of Virginia to visualize and access ecosystem elements. The initial partner BioHubs included in the portal are Charlottesville & Albemarle; Coastal Virginia; Northern Virginia; Greater Richmond; and Roanoke/Blacksburg/Lynchburg.
The new portal is the latest in the suite of services being provided under Virginia Bio-Connect. Following the November 2021 launch of the STEM2VA Life Science Internship Program for Summer 2022 and the virtual Life Science Mentor services for our startups, the portal is yet another way for Virginia Bio-Connect to bring together industry, academia, healthcare, and government to advance partnerships and innovation.