A Tribute to a Giant of Michigan’s Biosciences Community

March 27, 2024

Honoring the Legacy of a Biotech Visionary

James (Jim) Herbert, who passed away recently, was a founding father of Michigan’s biotechnology ecosystem. He brought to his work, and to his life, a passion, a vision and a perseverance rooted in his belief that biotechnology was the way of the future. In so doing, Herbert co-founded and built Neogen, a pioneering multi-national food and animal safety products company headquartered in Lansing.


Herbert’s business acumen at Neogen and other corporations he served as a board member was recognized by NASDAQ and USA Today, which named him a Michigan Entrepreneur of the Year. He was a founding awardee of the Michigan Biosciences Pantheon Award in 2018 for this role in helping to develop what is now a flourishing life sciences cluster in Michigan.


The culture that Jim created at Neogen, and its commitment to the Lansing area was widely seen as the gold standard for building a local knowledge-based, STEM economy. His focus on always doing the right thing for people and the business was something truly special. He was a master at creating cultures where great science and people could flourish. Jim was a brilliant businessman and great leader who brought a warmth and deft ability to harness talent and leaders toward a common goal, and Neogen as his business, and the broader statewide life sciences community was the beneficiary.


In short, Jim was a larger-than-life figure across Michigan’s biotechnology field, and was admired, respected and loved by all who were fortunate enough to know him as a colleague and a friend. He is irreplaceable and will be long remembered and sorely missed.

MichBio salutes Jim Herbert and his life.

RECENT ARTICLES

MichBio Hiring: Intern, Association Membership & Resource Analytics

April 15, 2025
MichBio seeks a highly motivated individual who can work creatively in a small team environment and assist in data mining, compilation, and research.

Bio Survey Underscores Impacts of Tariffs for Businesses

April 11, 2025
The Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), of which MichBio is a state affiliate recently released the results of a survey of its members, noting that “U.S. Biotechs Sound the Alarm” on tariff impacts. The findings include: Tariffs on European Union and Canadian imports would increase manufacturing costs for 94% and 82% of biotech firms, respectively. 70% of companies anticipate higher manufacturing costs due to tariffs on China. Tariffs on the European Union would force 50% of biotech firms to identify new research and manufacturing partners. More than 50% of biotech firms predict “increased difficulty” in funding and conducting research if EU tariffs are enacted. 80% of biotech firms would need at least 12 months to find alternative suppliers; 44% would need over two years. The survey noted that sudden tariffs would fundamentally punish American companies, threaten vital research projects and imperil United States leadership in biomedical science. Read BIO’s press release , along with an one-pager summarizing the survey results. 

Amid Proposed Cuts, Commission Calls For $15B NIH Support

April 10, 2025
A federal commission, in a new report , is calling for $15 billion in new financing to reinforce the United States’ biotech leadership amid encroaching competition from China. This comes against a backdrop where the Trump Administration has proposed severe cuts to NIH operations and funding. The National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology was created by Congress in 2022 to explore how biotechnology advancements could shape the economy and national security. The body quickly focused on China, as that government has gone about gathering Americans’ genetic information and intellectual property in the biotech space and resourcing their cluster’s rapid growth. The report’s 49 recommendations, organized across six strategic pillars, offer a bold and actionable framework to protect U.S. biotech intellectual property and bolster drug development, agriculture, and biological weapons defense: Prioritize biotechnology at the national level Mobilize the private sector to get U.S. products to scale Maximize the benefits of biotechnology for defense Out-innovate our strategic competitors Build the biotechnology workforce of the future Mobilize the collective strengths of our allies and partners The report calls for $1 billion to create an investment fund, more than $6 billion for large-scale research challenges, and a build-up of biomanufacturing sites across the country. Also, it calls for new legislation barring companies that work with U.S. national security agencies or health agencies from using certain Chinese biotech suppliers. The commission doesn’t have the power to authorize any changes but can make recommendations and advise members of Congress. BIO issued a statement in support.