Arkansas biomanufacturing Workforce INITIATIVE

In May 2023, a capital management firm requested assistance from the Allevian Consulting team to help them identify federal funding opportunities that could be leveraged for a nonprofit organization [501(c)(3)] they were incorporating, BioAR. This new enterprise was being launched with a mission to facilitate growth strategies for the biotherapeutics ecosystem in Northwest Arkansas such as workforce development programs and incubator opportunities to lead ⬇️

• Business Attraction and Retention - support more scale-up processes for startups, facilitate new  investments from out-of-state or foreign entities, enhance relationships with existing employers to strengthen community connectivity amongst public and private stakeholders

• Industry Development - cross-cluster economic growth for the life sciences industry and related industries that embrace commercial research and trials for healthcare solutions

• STEM Talent Pipeline Resilience - streamlined training and hiring models for graduate students, undergraduates, high school students, entry-level workers, and experienced professionals to foster a thriving, self-sustaining biotech industry

• Venture Capital Involvement - increase amount of incorporations for new startups, grow total value of investments in entrepreneurs from disadvantaged communities, areas of persistent poverty, and underrepresented populations associated

Our team identified the U.S Economic Development Administration’s STEM Talent Challenge as an appropriate funding source, collaborated with stakeholders, analyzed the workforce needs for an emerging market, designed the project to generate results that both fit the priorities of stakeholders and EDA, took the original focus of just Northwest Arkansas to the next level by creating opportunities for this effort to be statewide, and within a timeline of four and half weeks - from May 15, 2023 to the deadline, June 12, 2023 - our team delivered on time, within budget, exceeding expectations ⬇️

• Supported incorporation of BioAR and registered the entity with SAM.gov

• Secured partnerships and completed project formulation exercises with ⬇️

  • University of Arkansas

  • University of Arkansas Medical School

  • Arkansas Department of Commerce, Office of Skills Development

• Produced a compelling, data-driven narrative covering sections ⬇️

  • Executive Summary | Vision, Mission, Goals, Roles | Needs Assessment | Problems and Solutions | Achievability | Impacted Groups | Scope of Work | Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) | Measurable Goals and Impacts | Data Infrastructure | Sustainability Plan | Partnerships

• Targeted stakeholders strategically and methodologically to solicit a support letter and/or commitment letter from | drafted and distributed letters to each entity and secured signatures from leadership for each public/private sector organization -

• Arkansas Economic Development Commission

• Arkansas Research Alliance

• Northwest Arkansas Economic Development District

• Northwest Arkansas Council

• BioVentures

• OurPharma

• 3D Imaging

• Greater Bentonville Area - Chamber of Commerce

• Bentonville Schools

• Arkansas State University

• Arkansas State University - Beebe

• Of 200+ projects that requested financial support from this funding source, only ten in the country were selected to be awarded - BioAR being one 

https://www.eda.gov/funding/programs/stem-challenge/2023/University-of-Arkansas-System