Southern Maine Community College

Alere, IDEXX, Immucell, Katahdin Analytical Services, Kennebec River Biosciences, Maine Molecular Quality Controls and Maine Standards, Abbott Labs, Maine Medical Center Research Institute, Colby College, Bates College, Bowdoin College, University of New England, Mount Desert Island Biological labs, Univ of Maine at Orono, Univ of Maine at Portland (USM).

Southern Maine Community College is part of Maine's INBRE program.   The Maine IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) is a collaborative network of Maine educational and research institutions led by the MDI Biological Laboratory and sponsored by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

SMCC offers an Associate in Science degree requiring a mix of general education and hands-on courses.  Students learn the fundamentals of biology and chemistry and gain an advanced understanding of related subfields such as cellular biology, genetics and microbiology. Students work with DNA, cells, enzymes and other biological agents in hands-on laboratory settings and have the opportunity to work in outside laboratories as part of a summer internship program. Graduates find employment in entry-level biotechnology positions, including jobs as manufacturing, research and lab technicians, or transfer to a baccalaureate degree program.

Maine INBRE focuses on three areas:

1. Creating a technically skilled workforce in Maine through biomedical research training for undergraduates.
2. Providing research support to young faculty to increase their competitiveness for federal (NIH) biomedical research grants.
3. Improving the research infrastructure available to INBRE institutions through a collaborative network of core facilities with state-of-the-art equipment.