The University of Connecticut Health Center will see its business incubator space double with the construction of a $19.4 million, 28,000-square-foot addition to the Cell and Genome Sciences Building, a project that got underway recently. The addition will serve to expand UConn's Technology Incubation Program, which has already provided lab space and support services to dozens of companies. The new facility, at UConn Health's Farmington location, is expected to be operational by December 2015.
This is the latest phase of Bioscience Connecticut, a state program that has issued nearly $1 billion in assistance to UConn Health with the aim of transforming the area into a major hub for the biomedical and health sciences. The hope is that the combination of private companies and high-level university research will help foster growth for both sides.
"The incubator expansion at UConn Health is a great opportunity for Connecticut's citizens and industry," said vice president for research Jeff Seemann. "This expansion provides a physical resource to capture the companies and jobs emanating from Bioscience Connecticut for the state, and ensures that opportunities rapidly develop by extending a bundle of services designed to grow and sustain them."
The participating companies will have access to the University's research and technological resources and internship program. Existing companies at the incubator, 20 in all, cover a variety of science and technology areas, including IT, manufacturing and medical science.
Health sciences, IT and software developing companies can all benefit from their collaboration with the University and with each other, and from their location on a prime site for networking and meeting like-minded entrepreneurs.