Amgen Biotech Experience celebrates reaching one million students worldwide

The Amgen Biotech Experience (ABE), a global initiative dedicated to advancing biotechnology education, reached an incredible milestone: one million secondary school students worldwide. To celebrate this achievement, a special event, attended by Taoiseach Simon Harris and Bob Bradway, Amgen CEO, took place at Temple Carrig School in Greystones, Co. Wicklow, one of the leading schools involved in the programme in Ireland.

In Ireland, ABE is delivered in partnership with Systems Biology Ireland and the UCD Conway Institute, aligning with the new Irish Leaving Certificate biology syllabus, which now includes biotechnology components. This ensures that Irish students are at the forefront of scientific learning and discovery.

The ABE Ireland programme team joined the celebrations with Prof. Walter Kolch, Director, Systems Biology Ireland and Prof. Helen Roche, Director, UCD Conway Institute. 

Since its introduction in 2014, ABE Ireland has empowered over 23,700 students and trained more than 215 science teachers across 175 secondary schools in Ireland. Globally, the programme has now reached over one million students across 16 countries, helping to bring biotechnology out of university labs and into classrooms.

(l-r) Prof. Helen Roche, Amgen CEO, Bob Bradway, Taoiseach Harris, Prof. Walter Kolch pictured with students from Temple Carrig School 

Taoiseach Simon Harris said: “It is a pleasure to be in Temple Carrig School today to celebrate the success of the Amgen Biotech Experience in Irish schools. For ten years, students right across the country have been introduced to the excitement of scientific discovery thanks to this excellent initiative.

“Today we are recognising the milestone of over one million students impacted globally by the programme and over 23,000 students in Ireland. The importance of this experience to students cannot be understated, with many students getting their first taste of biotechnology from the Amgen Biotech Experience.

“I am delighted to be joined with Amgen CEO Bob Bradway and Chair of the Amgen Foundation Emily Razaqi here in Wicklow today. Their dedicated and generosity has enriched the scientific experience for thousands of our students and I want to pay tribute to them for that.”

Addressing students at the event Bob Bradway, Amgen CEO encouraged them to seize the opportunity, “Remember, every great scientist started somewhere – often in a school just like this one, with a teacher just like your own Dr Cathcart and with a curiosity about how things work”. 

Taoiseach Simon Harris, T.D. addressing pupils, teachers and guests at Temple Carrig School, Greystones.

Through ABE, students in Ireland and across the globe are gaining hands-on experience with professional-grade scientific equipment. The programme offers practical lessons in DNA analysis, gel electrophoresis and genetic engineering, helping students connect classroom theory to real-world scientific challenges. 

Prof. Walter Kolch, Director Systems Biology Ireland, UCD said, "It is wonderful to see the enthusiasm young people have for science if it is presented to them in an interesting way. We are very happy to be part of the ABE programme and have enjoyed seeing the researchers and teachers get as much out of it as the students."

Closing the event, Emily Razaqi, Chair of the Amgen Foundation said, “We are dedicated to unlocking the potential of students around the world through our science education programmes, because everyone needs science and science needs everyone. By giving students the chance to perform advanced experiments and work with cutting-edge technology, we’re helping them see the potential of biotechnology and its role in solving real-world problems.”

As part of the celebration, four teachers in Ireland, including Dr Cathcart of Temple Carrig school, will share a bursary of €20,000 to help advance science education in their schools through the ABE programme. These include training for teachers ahead of the new Leaving Cert biology specification in 2025/2026 and the introduction of ABE for deaf and hard of hearing students.  

(l-r) Dr Declan Cathcart and students from Temple Carrig School pictured with ABE Ireland team; Anna Wedderburn, ABE project coordinator; Elaine Quinn; UCD ABE site director; Ananya Ramesh; ABE technical support.
 
About the Amgen Biotech Experience 
The Amgen Biotech Experience (ABE) is funded by the Amgen Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Amgen Inc., which has donated over $450 million to advance excellence in science education worldwide. In Ireland alone, the Foundation has invested more than $1.1 million in ABE, reaching thousands of students and educators.