Distinguished Contributions Award: Genentech

Meet Genentech

Over the last few decades, South San Francisco has transformed from an industrial city into one of the largest biotech hubs in the United States. While the city retains its small-town feel and cultural vibrancy, new challenges have emerged, including in the school system.52% of SSF students are from groups underrepresented in the sciences, and 25% of SSF students are learning English at school. Graduation rates are above the state average, yet test scores, especially in math, remain below. With half of students losing interest in STEM by eighth grade, we recognized a clear gap and opportunity to engage them in science and connect them to local career pathways.

To address this, Genentech launched Gene Academy in 2010, pairing employee volunteers with 3rd to 5th graders for weekly homework help and science experiments. What began in one classroom grew into Futurelab in 2015. Futurelab is Genentech’s STEM education initiative serving all 8,000 K–12 students in SSFUSD. Through its core programs, Gene Academy, Helix Cup, Science Garage, and Futurelab Scholarships, students are inspired to pursue STEM, improve college readiness, and explore science in hands-on ways.Since 2015, Genentech has invested more than $40 million locally, with employees volunteering over 85,000 hours. Recognizing that only 35% of U.S. high schools offer biotech electives, mostly in wealthier districts, we sought to expand our reach. Futurelab+, an additional $10 million investment, introduces a digital biotech curriculum and virtual volunteering for high schoolers, with a goal to reach 1 million students nationwide by 2030

What impact are you most proud of creating in your community/field?
We are so proud of the fact that Futurelab creates more than just scientists – it builds connections. The program cultivates an environment where students can connect with peers, leading to lasting friendships. Students also create important bonds with their mentors, who provide invaluable support by helping students gain confidence with their scientific abilities, refine their interpersonal skills, and learn to navigate challenges in a supportive space. By connecting students with a range of professionals in the Genentech community, Futurelab inspires them to envision themselves in STEM careers, fostering a sense of belonging and possibility.

It has also been incredible to see how the students have personally impacted their mentors - our employees and volunteers. The program provides a unique avenue for volunteers to cultivate valuable skills, becoming more confident leaders and more effective communicators. On the surface, students may teach their mentors about the new hip lingo or the latest video game, but at a deeper level, mentors learn more profound personal lessons on teaching, patience, and kindness. Just as students value their mentors, so too do volunteers deeply appreciate the teachings of their mentees, underscoring the powerful human element that makes Futurelab so special.

What’s next for your organization?
At Genentech, we recognize that young people are natural scientists, engineers and problem solvers, but many times they don’t connect to science as it’s taught in school. We will continue to invest in these leaders of the future to ensure that we are able to scale the impact of our successful South San Francisco-based STEM education programs across the country.

Since launching our Futurelab+ initiative in 2022, more than 800,000 students have engaged with the open-source curriculum, with 63% of them coming from low-income Title I schools. We hope to see these numbers continue to increase, expanding visibility and access to biotech education and careers for communities that may not have had access otherwise.

We have already seen many Futurelab scholars return to Genentech or join other science companies as employees. Our hope is that students carry forward the principles of inclusion and mentorship they’ve learned via our programs and curricula, creating generational, long-lasting, impact.

If you had to sum up your organization in one word, what would it be and why?
Changemakers. We believe our mission is greater than medicine, and that together, we can improve all patients' health and quality of life and be a catalyst for driving positive change in society.

What’s a fun fact about your team people might not know?
Genentech pioneered the biotech industry, and next year we will be celebrating our company’s 50th anniversary. Since 1976, we have pushed the boundaries of science to improve the lives of patients. In fact, we were the first company to produce a human protein and clone human insulin.