Engineering firms work hand in hand with the biotech industry in consultation with municipal and private sectors. For example, acting as consulting agencies, engineering firms and firms in the biotech industry can provide guidance in terms of initial site evaluations, master planning and concepts design. The two can provide comprehensive planning and engineering services, such as environmental engineering, to create sustainable designs that are not harmful to the ecosystem.
Research and Development
Engineering firms can conduct initial site evaluations and perform feasibility studies. In the same manner, biotech researchers can conduct research on chemical compositions of soils and processes in marine or aquatic environments. In order for the plans to be successful, the two disciplines can work together, committed to creating sustainable or green engineering designs. Environmental scientists from the biotech industry also conduct research on soil remediation and groundwater sampling. In projects that involve industrial processes, such as the production of new chemicals or new development of fuels for vehicles, engineering firms can conduct research on how to design underground pipe systems to help safely dispose of the chemicals produced. Backed with their research findings, they can create safer methods of processing new chemical products.
Project Management and Maintenance Engineering firms can coordinate resolution of planning and environmental concerns with firms in the biotech industry to assure complete coverage of project requirements. Engineering firms prepare contract documents, technical specifications and construction administration. They also provide continuous maintenance of equipment and tools used by the biotech industry, such as the elaborate systems used in oil refineries. Other areas where engineering firms and biotech firms may work together are agriculture, chemicals, food, waste, energy, biology, therapeutics, diagnostics and medicine. In agriculture, for example, many agricultural scientists seek to understand the biological and chemical processes by which crops and livestock grow, such as determining the role of a particular gene in plant growth. An engineering firm may design or maintain machinery that agricultural scientists use to produce food products or agricultural chemicals. In addition, as chemists work on producing chemicals that people would find useful, engineering firms maintain the tools and equipment by calibrating them correctly and doing quality control checks to compare results. Engineering firms also provide waste management and maintenance of equipment used in that area. In the areas of diagnostics and medicine, engineering firms make sure that the equipment used to help diagnose diseases provides accurate results. These firms also make repairs as necessary. Geneticists use computers to perform DNA mapping to data analysis; the engineers help program the software used and troubleshoot as required. In many cases, engineering firms help program systems used in the biotech industry by working with computers and other sophisticated tools.
References
Biospace.com: Biotech and Pharmaceutical News & Jobs
The Dynamics of Industrial Clustering in Biotechnology
Bureau of Labor Statistics Outlook Handbook
Occupation Outlook Quarterly
Cameron Engineering Firm
