Community Touch

Building and sustaining long-term relationships worldwide by engaging local communities and supporting education, science and the arts.

Funding the Exploration of Biotech Solutions to Environmental Challenges

Our long-term vision of the future includes not only where Promega will be in 100 years but also how to improve the world in which we all live. Our company has committed $3 million to the Revive & Restore Catalyst Science Fund, exploring innovative solutions for endangered species and threatened ecosystems. Learn how biotechnology can advance the cause of conservation.

Supporting Young Scientists Competing in iGEM

The International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) competition is a program dedicated to advancing the boundaries of synthetic biology, education and cooperative community-based collaboration. Multidisciplinary teams of high school and university students work together to conceive, build, test and measure a system of their own design using interchangeable biological parts and standard molecular biology techniques. Learn how becoming a Partner Sponsor of iGEM helped empower efforts to change the world.

Offering Paid Time for Charitable Efforts

Strengthening a dedication to service begins with a culture that supports volunteerism. Beginning in 2018, Promega Madison offers employees the opportunity to apply for up to five business days (40 hours) of paid time to volunteer for the charity or organization of their choice as part of the Promega in Action initiative. Each employee documents his or her experience through writing, photography or videography and then shares the journey and insights with colleagues. In 2018, 14 organizations and programs benefited from 560 volunteer hours from employees.

Initiative to Support and Connect with Post Docs

Promega Italy refined an innovative initiative to support and connect with post-doctoral students at the Molecular Oncology Institute in Milan. For the last two years, the Italy branch has organized a two-day course with Human Resources facilitators from Promega Madison, leading management training sessions that focus on leadership conversations, as well as identifying strengths, motivators and challenges in oneself and team members. Feedback from the young scientists was overwhelmingly positive, and Promega leaders discovered novel ways for branches and departments to collaborate.

Promega Award for Biochemistry

In recognition of important collaborations in the study of stem cells from innovative researchers in China, Promega partners annually with the Chinese Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (CSBMB) to grant The Promega Award for Biochemistry. In 2018, Xu Chenqi, Ph.D., and Zhou Bin, M.D., Ph.D., both from the Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, received the award.

During my time at Promega I have had countless opportunities to witness the sincere dedication to supporting employees, customers and members of the community. The sense is that we are all in this together, working towards a better future for ourselves and our communities.

– Becca McKnight, Integrative Employee Development Partner

Supporting Student Internships

The Promega International Scientific Internship Scholarship supports undergraduate students at the University of Wisconsin–Madison who are undertaking an international internship aimed at using science to improve the quality of life in the world. Students from all scientific fields are eligible but preference is given to those whose internships use molecular biology techniques. Students must be based in a country other than their own for at least six weeks and cannot be in a country where the recipient has already spent significant time. The scholarship is awarded annually to four students.

Read about the experience of one scholarship winner in this blog post ›

Coordinating Events to Raise Money for Local Charities

The employee-lead Community Action Team (CAT) at Promega Biosciences in San Luis Obispo, CA, works to support the growth of their local community in civic vitality, cultural richness, human welfare, environmental sensitivity, educational opportunities and providing for and protecting those in need. In 2018, CAT supported 16 local organizations through fundraisers and employee match requests including Land Conservancy of SLO County, Santa Maria Valley Humane Society, United Way and Ronald McDonald House. Promega Biosciences also offers all full-time employees four hours of paid time each month to use toward volunteer activities.

Reviving the BlueGenes Project

In 2018, scientists at Promega Germany stepped up to help revive the BlueGenes Project. This initiative provides middle school students an early microbiology experience through two basic molecular biology experiments that can be performed safely in schools with limited reagents and lab materials provided at a discount. The German Promega branch had partnered 20 years ago with two other bioscience companies to launch the project. One of the companies recently stopped manufacturing products required for the experiments, threatening the end of the project. However, our German branch created a new set of BlueGenes experiments, protocols and web site support based on Promega products that will be provided at a significant discount.

The BioPharmaceutical Technology Center Institute (BTC Institute)

This not-for-profit organization founded by Promega in 1993 and located on the Madison, WI campus provides educational, scientific and cultural enrichment experiences. Educational programs focus on the life sciences for a wide range of learners from upper elementary students to college and graduate students, as well as career scientists in academia and industry and the general public.

During the 2017–2018 academic year, the ever-popular Biotechnology Field Trips program served approximately 3,000 middle- and high-school students from Wisconsin and Illinois. Students and their teachers either visited BTC Institute labs for hands-on, molecular biology-based field trips or were served by an on-the-road program that brings BTC Institute teachers and lab activities directly to classrooms. These students participated in more than 4,000 lab experiences. In addition, the BTC Institute offered six graduate level courses for UW-Madison, including all three Molecular Technologies courses for the Master’s in Biotechnology Program.

Annually, BTC Institute hosts the International Forum on Consciousness, bringing together the worlds of natural and social sciences, and the Wisconsin Stem Cell Symposium in partnership with the UW-Madison Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Center.

Learn more at btci.org ›

Today’s Learners, Tomorrow’s Leaders

For over 25 years, Promega has been a substantial supporter of the Woods Hollow Children’s Center. This nonprofit child care center is located on the main corporate campus in Wisconsin, providing early childhood education and care for children 6 weeks to 10 years old, and is fully accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). The center promotes parent involvement in all center activities and appropriate teacher compensation. The company’s commitment to the long-term success of Woods Hollow included funding a 9,300 square foot expansion in 2018 with construction of additional classrooms for after-school programming for school-age children and a gymnasium for indoor large-motor activities for all enrolled children.

Learn more at: woodshollow.org

Cool Science Image Contest

Images from microscopes, satellites, telescopes and other technologies are informative, but they can also be true works of art. The Cool Science Image Contest, sponsored by Promega, is an annual competition that challenges students, staff and faculty at the University of Wisconsin–Madison to capture and share compelling science images. Winning images are showcased at Promega headquarters and at the Wisconsin Science Festival, and are also featured on UW-Madison web sites and other communications.

Promega Art Showcase

Hosted on the Promega Madison campus for more than 20 years, the Art Showcase is a quarterly exhibit featuring the work of local and international painters, photographers, sculptors and artists in many other media. The professionally curated exhibitions, which are free and open to the public, offer both well-established and up-and-coming artists a venue for their work, and provide an opportunity for the surrounding community to explore diverse perspectives. Showcase opening symposiums consistently attract hundreds of art enthusiasts. An annual Promega employee art show supports a corporate culture that encourages creative expression.

Learn more at: promega-artshow.com ›

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Community Touch

Funding the Exploration of Biotech Solutions to Environmental Challenges