Biopharma stepping up to improve STEM education in USA, new Battelle report finds

In the USA, innovative biopharmaceutical companies and their corporate foundations are making significant contributions to US science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education through a broad range of local, state and national level programs and initiatives aimed at elementary through post-secondary education, according to a first-of-its-kind report by the Battelle Technology Partnership Practice.

The efforts, which represent important financial and in-kind investments, are characterized in the new report, supported by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America and unveiled today at a STEM Saves Lives event in Washington, DC, hosted by US News & World Report and PhRMA.

A robust STEM-skilled workforce is critical to continued scientific and technological innovations, which foster sustained economic growth, global competitiveness and help patients live longer, healthier, more productive lives. However, the USA alarmingly faces a rising gap in STEM skills compared to countries such as Japan, China and parts of Europe, which are making substantial public investments in STEM, according to the report.