BIDDEFORD — Maine is home to several small biotechnical firms. Edward Bilsky, a professor at the University of New England and director of the university’s Center for Excellence in the Neurosciences, believes by training a skilled workforce, there is a potential for the state to grow more such businesses.

Bilsky has first-hand knowledge in this area. He has founded two of his own biotechnical companies, AIKO Biotechnical, Inc. and Biousian Biosystem Inc. From his own experience, he said, a highly skilled, technically trained workforce is key to increasing the number of biotech companies in the state ”“ companies that provide high-paying jobs.

This summer, Bilsky developed an internship program at the university that links high school and college students interested in science with business and entrepreneurial experiences. It is people with this type of training and experience who will form a “well-qualified workforce of people who will take risks and try crazy experiments that may or may not work,” he said.

On Wednesday, the seven interns, all from Maine, and several UNE students presented examples of the projects on which they worked over the summer, in which science and business interrelate, at the UNE 2011 summer Capstone Event in Biddeford.

Allison Saunders of Saco and Evan Shuris of Kennebunk were two of the interns. Both will enter their senior year of high school in the fall. On the surface, their project, developing science modules to be taught in K-12 classrooms, doesn’t seem to have a business relationship. However, their project is perhaps the most fundamental in creating a future workforce interested in working in the fields of science and technology.

The Maine workforce needs more people with technical skills, said Saunders, and the key to creating such a workforce is reaching children earlier.

Creating science modules that capture students’ attention can be key to growing a future generation of workers interested in working in scientific fields, said Shuris.

Personally, said Saunders, who is planning a career in medicine, she never gave much thought to business. But her internship taught her to “appreciate the role business plays in science.”

Hannah Clarke of Falmouth was an intern this summer with a Biddeford company, Marine Ecological Habitats, Inc., that builds commercial lobster tanks and custom aquariums. In recent years, it branched out through developing a relationship with UNE. It now builds custom enclosures for laboratory research as well.

Clarke developed a business plan for the company about how they could expand this area of their business through such avenues as working with a scientific advisor and attending trade shows.

Joe Zucchero, president of the company, said working with Clark was “rewarding for (all) parties, the student, myself and the company.”

He said he already had an interest in growing his six-person company to work more with research institutions and had a general outline of how to do so, but Clarke provided him with a specific plan.

Zucchero said UNE provides a valuable asset to the community.

“They understand the relation with the economy and the future of kids of Maine” to be able to find high-quality, good-paying jobs in the state, he said.

By working more closely with the university, its staff and students, Maine could be a leader in the biotech industry, he said.

“There’s no reason why Maine can’t be a major player.”

City Manager John Bubier is also interested in partnering more closely with UNE to develop technical schools for high school and college-age students in the mill district, as well as business incubators. This is an idea he’s been interested in for several years, he said.

Traditional manufacturing jobs are going by the wayside in Maine, especially in southern Maine, said Bubier. Working with UNE to create a technically trained workforce and incubating small businesses is a way to grow the economy for the region and Biddeford in particular, he said.

— Staff Writer Dina Mendros can be contacted at 282-1535, Ext. 324 or dmendros@journaltribune.com.