CSL Behring has been honored as Pennsylvania State University’s Corporate Partner of the Year in recognition of the biotechnology leader’s ongoing collaboration with one of the top public research universities in the U.S.
Karen Etchberger, CSL Behring’s Head of Digital Transformation and Execution Systems, accepted the award from Penn State President Eric Barron during a luncheon held Friday at the university’s main campus in University Park, Pennsylvania.
“With CSL Behring’s support, Penn State is evolving industrial biotechnology education and research at the University, throughout the Commonwealth, and beyond—with enormous potential for improving human health,” Barron said.
With the help of a $5 million gift from CSL Behring, Penn State created a multidisciplinary Center of Excellence in Biotechnology and established the CSL Behring Fermentation Facility, an on-campus lab that allows students to train on the same equipment CSL Behring uses at its leading-edge manufacturing sites around the world
Get an inside look at the CSL Behring Fermentation Facility at Penn State University in the video above.
The partnership has continued with CSL Behring providing speakers and executive-level leaders for student initiatives and advisory board roles. Penn State Engineering Professor Dr. Ali Demirci, who runs the CSL Behring Fermentation Facility, recently spent a sabbatical semester at CSL Behring’s manufacturing sites in Switzerland and Germany to gain crucial biotech knowledge and experience to bring back to Penn State Students.
With its operational headquarters located in the Philadelphia suburb of King of Prussia, the collaboration is a testament to CSL Behring’s continued investment in Pennsylvania as a burgeoning biotech hub, said CEO and Managing Director Paul Perreault.
“At CSL, we’re driven by our promise to use the latest technologies to protect and improve the health of people around the world,” Perreault said. “Collaborating with Penn State on these efforts – and helping to educate the next generation of biotech scientists and leaders – is a natural outgrowth of our commitment to foster innovation.”
Previous winners of Penn State’s Corporate Partner of the Year Award include Ernst & Young, General Electric, Toshiba/Westinghouse, Lockheed Martin and Boeing.
