CENTER FOR LIFE SCIENCES TECHNOLOGY AT
UH RECEIVES $372K
FROM GOVERNOR’S OFFICE
Wagner-Peyser Grant to Assist Center in Preparing
Future Biotechnology Professionals
HOUSTON, March 9, 2006 – The constantly changing landscape
of medicine and health care is creating a critical need for more
biotechnology professionals. Thanks to a grant from the Office of
the Governor, the University of Houston soon will begin efforts
to meet this demand through its newly created Center for Life Sciences
Technology (CLiST).
CLiST, part of UH’s College of Technology, was recently awarded
$372,000 from the governor’s
Wagner-Peyser Grant Program. These funds will assist the center
as it focuses on workforce education and training programs to support
the regional life sciences research and the biotechnology industry.
“This center will strengthen the continuum of education and
training for the biotechnology and life sciences industries,”
said Chris Baca, director of CLiST. “This is an auspicious
beginning for an exciting new chapter at UH.”
In addition to the Wagner-Peyser grant, the center’s first
year will be co-funded by UH and the University of Texas Health
Science Center at Houston (UTHSC-H), a collaboration orchestrated
by Arthur Vailas, UH vice chancellor and vice president for research
and intellectual property management, and Ward Casscells, UTHSC-H
vice president of biotechnology.
CLiST’s initial goals include developing a Web portal to disseminate
industry information and creating a consortium of higher education
institutions and private sector enterprises that will address biotechnology
education and training requirements. Long-range goals include biotechnology
curriculum and certification program.
Biotechnology is the application of technology using biological
systems to develop products or provide solutions for industries
such as medicine and agriculture. Its most recognized applications
are in the development of drugs such as those used in treating cancer
and heart disease. It is also employed in food science and nanotechnology.
The U.S. Department of Labor has cited biotechnology as a high growth
industry, and identified its three primary workforce issues as recruitment,
training and education. In 2002, Texas Gov. Rick Perry established
the Governor’s Council on Science and Biotechnology Development
describing the industry as “the wave of the future when it
comes to health care.”
About the University of Houston
The University of Houston, Texas’ premier metropolitan research
and teaching institution, is home to more than 40 research centers
and institutes and sponsors more than 300 partnerships with corporate,
civic and governmental entities. UH, the most diverse research university
in the country, stands at the forefront of education, research and
service with more than 35,000 students.
For more information about UH visit
the university’s ‘Newsroom’ at www.uh.edu/admin/media/newsroom.
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