Simulations Plus Inc., the pharmaceutical simulation software company in Lancaster, recently announced the establishment of its University+ Program, which offers students and faculty a year of free access to the company’s programs.
John DiBella, president of Simulation’s Lancaster division, said the goal of the program is to remove barriers for software tools that have traditionally been in place for students and educators.
“In some cases, (software is) cost prohibitive,” DiBella said. “What we wanted to do was remove that barrier and use it as an opportunity for us to increase modeling and simulation education, get more exposure to our tools, and hopefully, promote the next generation of scientists and set them up today for success tomorrow.”
DiBella added that depending on the software tool, programs like the ones that Simulations offers can range from $1,000 to $10,000.
The program, which is open to universities worldwide, is part of Simulations’ 25th anniversary celebration. Eligible students and educators at accredited universities can renew their free subscriptions assuming eligibility requirements are met.
Currently Simulations has separate applications for three software programs. DiBella said those applications will be consolidated into one.
The University+ program also offers an internship and postdoctoral program to give students experience and funded postdoctoral opportunities with Simulations Plus.
“This program will prepare future scientists for numerous opportunities, including participation in our Internship+ Program to gain further hands-on experience with industry leading (modeling and simulation) tools, funded postdoc opportunities with our company, or full-time employment careers where they can apply model informed drug development skills and methods with Simulations Plus, industry, academia or government agencies,” DiBella said.
Currently, Simulations has about five postdoc students. The company has budgets for about five to eight postdocs each year, according to DiBella. The three-month internships are more flexible and hosts around 10 to 12 interns each year.
In the last six months, Simulations has made investments in complimentary and paid educational workshops for academics, according to DiBella.