The National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded $400,000 under its Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships program (CFDA 47.084) to Yosemite Community College District to support the EPIIC A-SPARK (Agriculture and Science Practice and Access for Research-Driven Knowledge) project, effective October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2028. The project builds research and biotechnology industry partnership capacity across four colleges with agriculture and biotechnology degree programs located in distinct regions across the United States. The primary deliverables include establishing sustainable partnership initiatives that conduct outreach to regional biotechnology industries, organizing cross-regional summits to facilitate knowledge sharing, and developing faculty-led agricultural biotechnology research and workforce development programming aligned with industry needs.
The project delivers workforce development training and research collaboration opportunities designed to prepare students with current biotechnology skills required by the biotechnology industry. Key services include facilitating the sharing of industry partners, research ideas, and results across the four participating institutions; identifying common agricultural biotechnology issues and regionally appropriate solutions; and creating opportunities for collaborative grant submissions and projects among participating colleges. These coordinated efforts across multiple institutions and regions support the development of a regionally connected bioeconomy while ensuring that participating colleges provide students with relevant, industry-validated biotechnology education and training.