Lawrence, KS - In conjunction with the leading state and local economic development organizations, the Lawrence-Douglas County Biosciences Authority (LDCBA) and LRTC are currently planning the development of a business incubator to support life sciences companies in the City of Lawrence and Douglas County, Kansas. The incubator will be located on the west campus at the University of Kansas (KU), adjacent to major pharmaceutical and life sciences research facilities. The incubator will be owned by the LDCBA and managed by LRTC. Groundbreaking is expected in 2009.
The incubator will be a multi-tenant facility comprised of 20,000 square feet, expandable to 40,000 square feet and will focus primarily on serving the needs of companies in the areas of human health, drug discovery, drug development, medical devices, bioinformatics, bioenergy and biomaterials. The facility will be designed to support a wide range of life sciences companies, including those that need chemistry, biology and engineering laboratories. Upon completion of the building, a substantial portion of laboratory space will remain unfinished and will be built-out depending on the needs of individual tenants and future demand.
Available space will be used to accommodate the following types of ventures: (a) KU “Spin-out” Companies - newly established life sciences companies from a KU research group, department or program that are “spun-out” to the private sector; (b) Emerging Local Private-sector Life Sciences Companies - start-up life sciences companies that are created in the private-sector, either local companies or companies that are recruited to Lawrence; and (c)
Collaborative Projects - research projects between KU researchers and large established life sciences companies.
In addition to offering a full-spectrum of tenant services, the incubator manager, LRTC, will provide a breadth of “hands-on” business development services to help tenants grow their businesses and maximize their chances of achieving market success. Incubator clients will also have access to, and support from, numerous individuals with years of life sciences industry experience to help guide clients the product development and commercialization life cycle. For example, The LDCBA will partner with the Office of Therapeutics, Discovery and Development (OTDD) to provide incubator clients with expertise in the area of drug discovery and development.
The incubator is intended to be a “transitional” home for companies. Companies can expect to lease space for a few years. If they choose to make Lawrence their permanent home, the LDCBA will help them locate an appropriate site and facilities in the community.
For more information about the new life sciences incubator, please contact LaVerne Epp, LDCBA President, at 785-856-2676, or Matthew McClorey, LRTC President & CEO, at 785-832-2110. For more information about the LDCBA or LRTC, please visit their websites at www.ldcba.org or www.lrtc.biz.