KU, economic development leaders unveil Bioscience & Technology Business Center at KU Medical Center
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KANSAS CITY, KAN. — Officials from the University of Kansas and various economic development groups today unveiled the Bioscience & Technology Business Center at the University of Kansas Medical Center (BTBC at KUMC), a business incubator specifically designed to spur entrepreneurship and commercialization of KU research.
Located at 2002 W. 39th Ave. in the newly remodeled Breidenthal Hall, the BTBC at KUMC comprises approximately 30,000 square feet of office and wet lab space. It is already home to bioscience companies Aptakon, OsteoGeneX and Orbis Biosciences, a KU spinout. The facility’s location on the KUMC campus makes it an ideal location for bioscience and technology companies that want to collaborate with KUMC researchers.
The BTBC at KUMC is the third facility in the BTBC at KU incubator system, which includes two other buildings in Lawrence — the BTBC Main Facility and the BTBC Expansion Facility. The three buildings combine for approximately 60,000 square feet and 12 tenants, making the BTBC at KU the largest incubator network in Kansas.
“The BTBC at KUMC is a unique business incubator that further positions us to drive innovation, entrepreneurship, and the commercialization of university research in Kansas,” said KU Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little. “The end result will be new companies and new jobs that grow our regional economy and new discoveries that improve our quality of life.”
The BTBC at KUMC provides its tenants with a variety of services, including office and lab space, business development services provided by experienced business consultants, and access to capital through a variety of sources. The BTBC is positioned to serve a range of bioscience and technology-based companies, including spinout companies commercializing KU research, emerging private sector companies, and large companies collaborating with KU researchers.
“The BTBC at KUMC goes way beyond amenities and business services,” said Matt McClorey, executive director of the BTBC. “What sets this building apart is the BTBC’s location on the KUMC campus, adjacent to some of the best life science expertise in the world. This location fosters unparalleled collaboration between research and industry, which will drive commercialization of university-based research and bring life-improving discoveries to market more quickly and efficiently. We look forward to some exciting bioscience and technology companies occupying this space in the months and years ahead.”
The BTBC at KUMC is a $6 million project that entailed renovation of Breidenthal Hall, which was built in the 1950s. The U.S. Department of Commerce contributed nearly $3 million, with the Kansas Bioscience Authority and KU providing $2 million and $1 million, respectively.
Breidenthal Hall is owned by the Kansas Board of Regents. Formerly home to the offices and laboratories of the pharmacology department, the building is leased to the University of Kansas Medical Center Research Institute, which has contracted with the Lawrence-Douglas County Bioscience Authority to manage the incubator as part of its BTBC at KU network.
Speakers at today’s event included Gray-Little; Barbara Atkinson, Executive Vice Chancellor, KUMC; David Vranicar, Interim President and CEO, Kansas Bioscience Authority; Mark Werthmann, U.S. Department of Commerce; and Maria Flynn, President and CEO, Orbis Biosciences.
The BTBC at KU system is a partnership of the Lawrence Regional Technology Center, the Lawrence-Douglas County Bioscience Authority, the University of Kansas, KU Endowment, the City of Lawrence, Douglas County, the Kansas Bioscience Authority and the Lawrence Chamber of Commerce.
For details, visit the BTBC website.