10th Anniversary of Futurelab

“We kicked off ‘Futurelab’ in 2015, and in 2025 the program turned 10! It’s been wonderful to celebrate the progress we’ve made alongside our community as we look ahead to the next 10 years of STEM education in South San Francisco.”
 
Futurelab is Genentech’s STEM education initiative that supports all 8,000 K-12 students in the South San Francisco Unified School District (SSFUSD) by getting them excited about science, boosting their skills and inspiring them to pursue careers in STEM.
 
Futurelab equips teachers with the tools, curricula, technology and professional development needed to deliver rigorous, engaging science and engineering instruction. The program was created in close partnership with SSFUSD, with local teachers and administrators co-designing the curriculum to meet the unique needs of the district’s students and ensure all learners have access to relevant, high-quality STEM education.
 
Since 2015, Genentech has awarded a total of $4.5M, helping make college attainable for 94 students who may not have otherwise had the resources. Just as vital as the financial support, these scholarships provide access to a dedicated college coach, offering personalized guidance tailored to each student. This individualized support helps ensure students are prepared to thrive in their next academic chapter, and to ultimately become the scientists of tomorrow.
 
“We’re incredibly honored to be recognized by the city of South San Francisco and by San Mateo County for our work in STEM education for local students,” said Ragnar von Schiber, Director, Employee & Community Engagement and Head of K-12 STEM education initiatives at Genentech. “Giving back to our local community and public schools is really important to us at Genentech. That’s why we created ‘Futurelab,’ our K-12 STEM program with South San Francisco Unified. ‘Futurelab’ provides kids with hands-on science experience, mentoring and access to college scholarships.”