Ben Franklin Biotechnology Community

Ben Franklin Technology Partners is committed to growing the regional biotechnology community through the use of regional and national resources. By linking the biotech community with federal, private and university resources, Ben Franklin is helping to position the Delaware Valley as a key biotech region in the New Economy. Ben Franklin’s biotechnology efforts include:

The Ben Franklin Innovation Center is a unique collaboration between complementing non-profit organizations, including The Thomas Jefferson University, The Hepatitis B Foundation and The Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern Pennsylvania, co-located with the Jefferson Center for Biomedical Research on the campus of Delaware Valley College. The Innovation Center nurtures agri- and bio-technology development in the region. The Center's faculty, scientists and staff and the extensive research facilities are available to commercial enterprises. The availability of these resources, together with opportunities in workforce training has resulted in several successful collaborations, helping to raise the profile of bio-technological development in the southeast PA region.

Through the seed capital programs, Ben Franklin provides southeastern PA biotech companies with access to funding up to $500,000. Ben Franklin biotech companies may utilize these funds for research, testing, equipment rental, and patents, among other things.

Ben Franklin supports a program to train biotechnicians, developed by The Wistar Institute and the Community College of Philadelphia (CCP), which includes a two-year biotech training curriculum that combines specified CCP math, science, and general studies courses with 680 hours of paid employer-based training at The Wistar Institute.

The Nanotechnology Institute conducts interdisciplinary, multi-institution, nano-biotechnology research and development at universities in the southeastern Pennsylvania region. The Institute, whose focus is molecular-scale technologies, concentrates on the transfer of discoveries and intellectual knowledge from universities to industrial partners and the promotion of rapid application and commercialization. Funded by a $10.5 million grant from the Pennsylvania Technology Investment Authority, the Institute’s aim is to establish the region as a leader in the field of nano-bio technology.

The TCN Preferred Provider Network is designed to assist companies in addressing technical needs by utilizing Philadelphia area research institutions. The centers provide consulting and use of laboratory facilities for analysis, experimentation, and prototyping. Four Centers are devoted to life sciences: