Innovation Center Benefits from Quidel and Global Cooling Donations
The future of biotechnology incubation continues to look strong thanks to generous gifts from local industry to The Ohio University Foundation to support the Ohio University Innovation Center.
Southeast Ohio's business incubator, the Innovation Center, announced the acquisition of dozens of pieces of biotechnology laboratory equipment donated from Quidel Corporation and an ultra-low temperature (ULT) freezer manufactured locally by Stirling Ultracold, a Division of Global Cooling Inc.
“We are thrilled to accept these donations,” said Stacy Strauss, director of the Innovation Center. “Ohio University has a long and successful history of supporting biotechnology and business start-ups in Southeastern Ohio. These gifts will allow us to continue our support of growing enterprises and ensure that our laboratories remain current. These gifts to the Innovation Center initiated by local companies represent a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem at work. These companies grew up here in Athens, were buoyed by the ecosystem, and are proud to give back to benefit the development of other ventures.”
The donated laboratory equipment will be put to use by the business startups occupying the Innovation Center’s 36,000-square-foot facility on West State Street in Athens. The companies will use the donated pieces to develop new technologies that benefit society in the areas of diagnostics, drug development, and medical devices.
“Quidel Corporation is proud to support the Innovation Center’s economic impact and looks forward to witnessing the benefit to local startup companies that the equipment will provide,” said Geoff Morgan, Vice President and General Manager at Quidel.
TechGROWTH Ohio, a state Entrepreneurial Services Provider program administered by Ohio University's Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs, has supported both Global Cooling and Quidel. Quidel – formally Diagnostic Hybrids – also was incubated at the Innovation Center. TechGROWTH and the Innovation Center are funded in part by Ohio's nationally recognized Third Frontier program to serve early-stage companies in Southeastern Ohio.
“The Innovation Center, the Voinovich School, and TechGROWTH Ohio have become essential to the area’s start-up environment. We are delighted be a part of this emergence of life sciences innovations and entrepreneurship in the region,” said Neill Lane, President and CEO at Global Cooling, Inc.