The new BioResearch and Development Growth (BRDG) Park at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center Plant opened on June 16 the first of three buildings at the new research park in suburban St. Louis County, Missouri.
Designed to enhance collaborations at the international center of plant and life sciences research, BRDG Park has been developed for plant and life sciences and clean-tech companies from the incubation stage to post-incubation stage. Its acronym describes its role in helping tenant companies “bridge” the transition from innovative ideas to commercial success.
“BRDG Park puts the state of Missouri in the strongest possible position to attract new employers…help existing Missouri businesses grow, and to create the high-tech, high-paying jobs of tomorrow,” said Missouri Governor Jay Nixon in written remarks read on his behalf when inclement weather prevented his attending the event.
Located on the campus of the Danforth Plant Science Center, the world’s largest plant science research institute, the first building is an 110,000 square-foot, four-story facility featuring state-of-the-art wet labs and office space. Already more than 60 percent leased, the building’s tenants include Divergence, St. Louis Community College Center for Plant and Life Sciences, Nidus Center for Scientific Enterprise, Monsanto, and Phycal LLC.
In addition to being situated at the national and international center for plant and life science research, in the heartland of American agriculture, BRDG Park is uniquely prepared to provide the Research + Resources + Relationships necessary to help fledgling companies span the transition from innovative ideas to tangible commercial businesses. Tenants will not only have convenient access to the Danforth Center’s technologically advanced greenhouse, growth chambers, microscopy and proteomics facilities, but also the intellectual capital of top research scientists.
“Building I at BRDG Park features a great mix of enterprises and innovative partnerships that will provide the kind of scientific synergy that will help companies grow, building on the strong plant and life science base in St. Louis,” said Sam Fiorello, President of BRDG Park and Chief Operating Officer and Senior Vice President of Administration at the Danforth Plant Science Center.
According to Vicki Gonzalez, President and CEO of the Nidus Center for Scientific Enterprise, a plant and life sciences incubator, BRDG Park not only offers a world-class facility, but also spaces that are designed to connect individuals to one another, as well as to their work. “These qualities are of special importance to incubation stage companies,” said Gonzalez.
One of the most unique features of Building I is the classroom and laboratory space that distinguishes BRDG Park as one of the only research parks to have an on-site bio-tech workforce development and training program. The St. Louis Community College’s Center for Plant and Life Sciences bio-technician training program, which has been recognized for excellence by the Missouri Biotechnology Organization (MOBIO), will create unlimited and innovative opportunities for collaborations between academia and industry.
Source: Bio-Research & Development Growth Park
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