OHIO Innovation Center receives $1.15 million federal grant for facility upgrades

The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration has awarded a $1.15 million grant to the Ohio University Innovation Center to support facility improvements at the internationally renowned business incubator.

The grant will allow the Innovation Center to add new biotechnology laboratories and light manufacturing spaces as well as improve several features of the building, including the heating system, flooring, access control and virtual conferencing technology. The upgrades will enhance the incubator’s ability to provide service to entrepreneurs in southeastern Ohio.

In addition to supporting the retention of more than 300 jobs supported by the Innovation Center, the infrastructure improvements are expected to result in the creation of 10 new businesses and 100 new jobs within three years of project completion. Based on exhaustive data research completed as part of the project’s feasibility study, it is expected that these new jobs will pay a higher than average wage for the region.

The Innovation Center currently has seven fully occupied biotechnology laboratories. Demand for lab space from biotechnology and life science companies is on the rise, said Stacy Strauss, director of the Innovation Center.

The new grant is funded through the Economic Development Administration’s Assistance to Coal Communities program. It assists communities severely impacted by the declining use of coal through activities and programs that support economic diversification, job creation, capital investment, workforce development and re-employment opportunities.

“We are so grateful for the confidence that the Economic Development Administration and Ohio University have shown in the Ohio University Innovation Center as demonstrated by this major grant award,” Strauss said. “We look forward to our continued work in support of the region’s entrepreneurs, providing exceptional upgraded incubation space, and exceeding our projected metrics.”

Ohio University is providing an additional $287,684 in funds for the project.

“The Ohio University Innovation Center is one of the top business incubators in the country, and we are incredibly proud of the positive impact it is having on its businesses and on the region,” Ohio University President M. Duane Nellis said. “This grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce combined with university funding will allow our Innovation Center to keep improving its facilities in order to better assist entrepreneurs in southeast Ohio.”

The Innovation Center is the recipient of the 2019 Randall M. Whaley Incubator of the Year Award (InBIA) and the 2019 Rural-Based Entrepreneurship Center of the Year Award (InBIA).