Southern Research is offering biotech companies an opportunity to move to a new incubator facility on its campus starting in January.
Applications for the incubator space are now being accepted. The space includes 11 offices and 12 wet labs along with shared lab equipment and entrepreneurial services to support startup businesses engaged in treating and diagnosing diseases.
“We conducted a feasibility study in 2022 that highlighted the gap between the needs of Birmingham’s growing biotech scene and the availability of services and wet lab space,” said Abi Kulshreshtha, Southern Research chief business officer. “By offering a biotech companies access to our space and our expertise, we can nurture their growth and further develop Birmingham’s biotech corridor.”
The incubator space will be part of Southern Research’s Station 41 biotech commercialization hub, which also includes an accelerator and a venture studio to help launch and fund startup businesses. Williams Blackstock Architects and HOK designed the space, and Brasfield & Gorrie served as general contractor.
The incubator is targeted at companies involved in treating and diagnosing diseases, with a preference for those aligned with Southern Research’s core focus areas, including cancer, infectious diseases and chronic diseases.
Companies that rent space in the incubator will be paired with experts at Southern Research, the University of Alabama at Birmingham and other local business leaders to assist with their technology needs. They will also have preferred access to Southern Research’s services and expertise to assist with their research and commercialization needs.
“This allows participants to plug into Birmingham’s vibrant biotech community and take advantage of our best-equipped research facilities,” Kulshreshtha said. “We are already seeing interest across the Southeast and hope to grow Birmingham’s profile as a national biotechnology hub."
