SWAG��Ƶ

Maine’s top researchers, science educators, and biotechnology business owners convened at the SWAG��Ƶ on Wednesday, Oct. 2, to share insights about the state’s life sciences industry at the 2024 (BioME) Conference.

The event, held in the Arthur P. Girard Innovation Hall on SWAG��Ƶ’s Portland Campus for the Health Sciences, brought together nearly 250 individuals to discuss industry findings and revel in research. Representatives from some of the state’s top laboratories — including The Jackson Lab and MDI Biological Laboratory — and the health and technology sectors were in attendance.

SWAG��Ƶ President James D. Herbert welcomed the crowd by acknowledging the University’s contributions to Maine’s growing life sciences industry, including an established track record of academic strength and groundbreaking research in several fields of crucial importance to human health and the natural world.

Clockwise, from top left: Attendees gather in Girard Innovation Hall; SWAG��Ƶ’s Eva Rose Balog, Scott Wood, Karen Houseknecht, Gwen Mahon, and Derek Molliver; a conference attendee asks a question; Kevin Mills, president and CEO of BioKansas, delivers the keynote address; and BioME Executive Director Agnieszka Carpenter welcomes the crowd.

SWAG��Ƶ represents a significant portion of this growing industry, Herbert said. The University has been awarded $18.6 million in NIH awards in the past five years and has consistently been ranked as the No. 1 college or university in Maine for NIH funding, including $4 million in 2022 alone. 

“We’re creating jobs, we’re having an outsized impact on our economy, and we’re generating innovations that improve people’s lives,” he said. “These are exciting times for SWAG��Ƶ and for Maine, and I’m so very glad that we can experience them together. I’m also delighted that many of our organizations can work together when our priorities align.”