PRBio Tech Hub

Lead Agency: Puerto Rico Science, Technology and Research Trust

Territory Served: Puerto Rico

Applicant-Defined Region: Puerto Rico

Core Technology Area: biopharmaceutical and medical device manufacturing

Contact: David L. Gulley ([email protected])

Media Contact: Lupe Vázquez ([email protected])

Organizational Link: https://prsciencetrust.org/

The PRBio Tech Hub, led by the Puerto Rico Science, Technology and Research Trust, aims to advance the region as a global leader in biotechnology through fast-tracking the discovery, development, manufacturing, and supply of next generation biotechnology and medical device products to detect, treat, and cure diseases and ailments. This Tech Hub will leverage the region’s existing assets – including expertise in advanced manufacturing, strong pharmaceutical development partnerships among universities and industry, and biopharmaceutical incubators – to make the U.S. biotechnology supply chain more resilient and meet the public health and national security challenges of tomorrow.

The PRBio Tech Hub seeks to drive regional growth in pharmaceuticals and medical products by attracting innovative biotechnology companies.

This consortium’s proposal includes plans to:

• Create a network to overcome challenges in capital funding that local private equity and venture capital firms encounter;
• Scale existing, proven approaches to education and workforce development that are essential for biotechnology innovation by focusing on lifelong learning programs to stimulate the workforce pipeline;
• Build state-of-the-art laboratory space that enables workforce training and commercial product development of small and large molecule pharmaceuticals; viral, DNA and RNA derived immunotherapies; and gene cell therapies;
• Enable tech-to-chemistry capabilities to enable AI-discovered, repurposed, or reformulated drugs to be produced through computer-aided synthesis, optimization, and analysis;
• Catalyze the development of new drugs with the use of advanced manufacturing and enabling technologies;
• Empower disadvantaged workers through hands-on job training experience for emerging biotech startups through shared equipment, facilities, and resources; and
• Establish a governance framework that supports transparent decision making, accountability, efficient project execution, and long-term sustainability.

This summary is based on information submitted by the applicants.

Strategy Development Grant Amount: $496,885

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