Chiron Foundation Awards Grants to Bay Area Community Organizations Committed to Workforce Development; Grants Support Training Programs With Focus on Biotechnology Careers

Business Wire, June 9, 2005

EMERYVILLE, Calif. -- The Chiron Foundation, a nonprofit philanthropic organization funded by Chiron Corporation (Nasdaq:CHIR), announced today that it has awarded a total of $55,000 to three local organizations for programs providing job training and placement support services to unemployed young adults, low-income area residents and people with disabilities. The recipients are Project HIRED, Regional Technical Training Center and Rubicon Programs. These grants will support each of the organizations in their efforts to expand existing job training programs preparing workers for sustainable careers in biotechnology and other growth industries.

"The Chiron Foundation is committed to making a positive, lasting impact on the communities near Chiron and supporting community-based organizations that are working for positive social change," said Jay Grover, president of the Chiron Foundation. "The work of these three organizations plays a vital role in building and strengthening tomorrow's workforce. We are pleased to contribute to programs that promote empowerment of individuals to achieve self-sufficiency through employment training and job skill development."

The Chiron Foundation's grant to Project HIRED, a not-for-profit organization headquartered in Santa Clara, Calif., will support HIRED Direct, a program that provides people with disabilities an array of employment services, including individual job search counseling, job search and computer skills workshops, networking and support groups, job placement, and mentoring. The organization serves a population with a diverse spectrum of skill sets and disabilities and seeks to integrate people with disabilities into community workplace settings.

The Chiron Foundation's grant to Regional Technical Training Center (RTTC), a training and career development organization located in Oakland, Calif., will support an expansion of the organization's targeted technical training program preparing unemployed young adults for entry-level biotechnology manufacturing or allied-health positions. The RTTC provides education, job training and placement services to low-income and unemployed San Francisco Bay Area residents, with an emphasis on West Oakland residents.

The Chiron Foundation's grant to Rubicon Programs, a community services organization located in Richmond, Calif., will support the expansion of the organization's workplace development program. The program aims to help increase the self-sufficiency of low-income residents by preparing workers from economically disadvantaged communities for sustainable careers in biotechnology and other industries. Each year, Rubicon helps more than 3,000 Bay Area people, most of whom are homeless or living in poverty, get jobs, housing, legal support and the skills they need to create better lives for themselves.

About the Chiron Foundation

Established in 2004, the Chiron Foundation is an independent, nonprofit organization committed to improving lives through better healthcare, empowering lives through better education and enriching lives through better communities. The Foundation awards grants in three major focus areas: health and medicine, education, and community. For further information about the Chiron Foundation, please visit www.chiron.com/foundation.> About Chiron

Chiron delivers innovative and valuable products to protect human health by advancing pioneering science across the landscape of biotechnology. The company works to deliver on the limitless promise of science and make a positive difference in people's lives. For more information about Chiron, please visit www.chiron.com.

This news release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties and are subject to change. A full discussion of the company's operations and financial condition, including factors that may affect its business and future prospects, is contained in documents the company has filed with the SEC, including the Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2004, and the Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2005, and will be contained in all subsequent periodic filings made with the SEC.

We do not undertake an obligation to update the forward-looking information we are giving today.