January 22, 2024

By Melissa Paulsen

On Thursday, January 4, 2024, the Montana High Tech Business Alliance and the Montana Bioscience Cluster Initiative co-hosted the webinar “Bioscience Workforce Trends in Montana.” Moderator Nicole Rush, Deputy Director of the Missoula Economic Partnership and a bioscience workforce specialist, and guest speaker Dr. Karen Brown, Founder and CEO of KLEO in Missoula, discussed the trends in state and national workforce data, key challenges and opportunities in bioscience, and best practices and recommendations for driving sustainable growth in 2024 and beyond. Continue reading for the highlights from the conversation.

Trend #1: Montana Sees Continued Rapid Growth and Hiring in Bioscience

Bioscience is an industry with huge potential in terms of fast growth and high wages. According to the University of Montana Bureau of Business and Economic Research (BBER)’s 2022 Survey of Bioscience Firms, the median wage for bioscience jobs in Montana was $75,500 and is projected to increase.

 Montana also experienced a 21 percent growth in its employment rate for bioscience-related occupations since 2018 and was sixth in the nation for bioscience industry growth overall from 2015 to 2020.

 “Overall, [Montana’s bioscience] industry is growing much faster than the private sector,” said Nicole Rush, Deputy Director of the Missoula Economic Partnership. “[Bioscience] offers really high wages and that creates a steady demand for a skilled workforce that includes all types of skills but is heavily concentrated on those with at least a background or credential in STEM.”

 Flagship institutions like Montana State University in Bozeman and the University of Montana in Missoula, as well as centers of research in Great Falls and Hamilton, drive the state’s bioscience scene which consists of five diverse sub-sectors:

• Agricultural and Industrial Biosciences

• Bioscience-related Distribution

• Manufacturing and Development of Drugs and Pharmaceuticals

• Manufacturing and Development of Medical Devices and Equipment

• Research, Testing, and Medical Laboratories

Government programs such as the MSU and UM technology transfer offices and the Montana Innovation Partnership (MTIP), can assist scientists looking to spin off their own companies and contribute to Montana’s burgeoning bioscience ecosystem. See the Alliance’s biotech resource guide to learn more about engaging with Montana’s entrepreneurial support networks.

Trend #2: Steady Need for Skilled Workforce — All Types of Skills

Montana’s expanding bioscience sector welcomes candidates with varied skill sets and credentials.

Rush shared that most Montanans involved in the bioscience field are employed in production occupations related to manufacturing, followed by scientists and science-related occupations, and then non-technical roles well-informed by having a technical or STEM background such as sales, marketing, and administrative support teams.

In addition, STEM skills are heavily emphasized and valued, such as basic laboratory, biology, programming, and math skills, as well as medical knowledge, data analysis, writing, and interpersonal skills.

Karen Brown, Founder and CEO of KLEO, also noted the large demand for clinical research professionals in Montana.

“I work closely with a lot of these hospitals and private clinical research sites, and I see how much need there is for clinical research coordinators to help get these products to patients during the drug development or device development process,” Brown said. “I also see a huge need for more clinical research associates, people who are going out to clinical research sites and getting really close to the data to see how it's affecting populations and making sure it's safe and effective for patients.”

KLEO supports clinical trials, regulatory affairs, and market access projects for the medical device industry.

Trend #3: Academic-Industry Partnerships Are More Important Than Ever

Through strategic academic partnerships, the Montana Bioscience Cluster Initiative and its partners help make STEM career pathways more accessible to Montana students grades K-12.

Annual career summits for high schoolers, like the Billings Healthcare Summit, have helped steer Montana students toward growing their skills in STEM and learning more about the bioscience industry.

“[The Billings Healthcare Summit] is a one-day summit for high school students hosted by MSUB and the Montana Bioscience Alliance where students learn about career opportunities in healthcare, which of course has a lot of crossover with bioscience, and emphasizes life science careers in general,” Rush explained. “Before they ever get to college, students should know about their potential to have a great career in this industry.”

The Biotechnician Assistant Credential Exam (BACE) is another avenue for students pursuing a career in bioscience. As an industry-recognized exam that can be offered at both the high school and two-year college level as an educational credential, the BACE equips students with the basic lab and biotechnology skills needed for an entry-level bioscience position.

Although not yet widely adopted in Montana, Flathead Valley Community College in Kalispell has implemented the BACE exam and has seen great success with its students.

“The BACE is an important credential that we as the Montana Bioscience Cluster Initiative would like to see spread and taught and taken more widely across the whole state to prepare more entry-level workers for [bioscience] careers,” Rush said.

Another academic partnership dedicated to growing Montana’s bioscience industry is the University of Montana’s L.S. Skaggs Institute for Health Innovation and Research Evaluation and Commercialization Hub (SIHI REACH). Launching its first cohort in Spring 2024, the hub is a new initiative led by Brown and Dr. Erica Woodahl focused on research and commercialization of biomedical discoveries. The University of Montana was only one of five universities nationwide to receive this $4M grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

“The aim of the REACH hub is to accelerate biomedical innovation to commercialization,” Brown said. “We’re working with biomedical innovators to bring them the resources, the project management support, and the funding to get them closer to commercialization, with follow-on funding like a successful SBIR or STTR application or some venture mechanism.”

SIHI REACH will partner with biomedical innovators, universities, and colleges — including community, technical, and tribal colleges — across the Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, Idaho (WWAMI) region. The hub anticipates supporting up to six biomedical research projects when applications open in Spring 2024.

Resources:

• Montana Bioscience Alliance (Network of biotechnology businesses, entrepreneurs, laboratories, hospitals, clinics, and universities working together to commercialize, grow, and sustain globally competitive bioscience enterprises.)

• Montana High Tech Business Alliance’s Biotech Resource Guide (Free resource guide featuring Montana’s 100+ year history of bioscience innovation, talent pipeline from R1 universities, and robust entrepreneurial support network including biotech incubators, local venture funding, and SBIR/STIR success rate 2x the national average)

• PowerPoint Slides from “Bioscience Workforce Trends in Montana” webinar (A copy of Nicole Rush’s PowerPoint slides featured in the webinar)

About the Publisher: Launched in 2014, the Montana High Tech Business Alliance is a nonpartisan nonprofit association of more than 200 high tech and manufacturing companies and affiliates creating high-paying jobs in Montana. For more information, visit MTHighTech.org or subscribe to our newsletter.

About the Author: Melissa Paulsen is the communications coordinator for the Montana High Tech Business Alliance. She graduated from the University of Montana in 2022 with a BFA in creative writing and a minor in history.