The Jefferson Institute for Bioprocessing (JIB), developed in partnership with the internationally recognized National Institute for Bioprocessing Research and Training (NIBRT), is North America’s first and only education and training institute dedicated to biopharmaceutical processing. Located in Lower Gwynedd, PA, the facility is one of only a handful worldwide focused on training professionals to produce potentially life-saving drugs using commercial single-use processing equipment combined with NIBRT’s gold-standard curriculum.
To realize this vision, Thomas Jefferson University partnered with a developer to convert a 25,000-square-foot former chemical manufacturing facility into a state-of-the-art research and hands-on training center. The flexible and adaptive clean room suite enables the simulation of various manufacturing processes, with quick-disconnect lab services and mobile equipment to support evolving industry needs. Dedicated collaboration spaces bring together industry experts, biopharma professionals, faculty and students to exchange ideas and advance bioprocessing knowledge.
STV provided structural, mechanical and plumbing design services within the developer’s overall design and delivery team, collaborating with NIBRT to ensure the facility met the stringent requirements of clean-room conditions, specialized air handling systems and electrical infrastructure capable of supporting high-tech bioprocessing equipment. Guiding the university’s stakeholders through the fast-track design and delivery process, STV helped reduce construction time and budget, allowing the Institute to allocate more resources toward sophisticated equipment purchases.
