Congresswoman Jenkins to visit BTBC

LAWRENCE – Congresswoman Lynn Jenkins will visit the Bioscience & Technology Business Center at the University of Kansas at 11:45 a.m. today as part of a national effort to support entrepreneurship and innovation.

Jenkins will visit the BTBC Main Facility, 2029 Becker Drive on KU’s west campus, to meet with officials from BTBC tenant Argenta, a global animal health leader. Argenta is one of 10 companies located in the 20,000-square-foot incubator.

Jenkins’ visit is part of a national effort called Startup Day Across America, slated for Thursday, Aug. 29. Organized by Congress, Startup Day Across America is designed to highlight the importance of entrepreneurship and innovation to the American economy and connect members of Congress with startups and incubator facilities in their districts.

There are 24 active startup companies based on KU research.

The BTBC Main Facility in June broke ground on a 30,000-square-foot expansion that’s scheduled for completion by 2014. Once complete, the expanded facility will have room for 18-24 companies at various levels of development, including startup companies based on KU research and other companies wishing to partner with KU resources. The BTBC Main Facility is one of three buildings in the BTBC system, which has a combined 30 tenants totaling more than 100 employees.