The latest bioscience incubator space to open in New Haven is set to nurture the next great Elm City entrepreneurs, science leaders said on Tuesday.
“We feel we’re going to lead the way,” said John Geibel, speaking at the ribbon-cutting for the New Haven Innovation Labs, a new startup space inside the John B. Pierce Laboratory.
Geibel is the director of Pierce, a nonprofit, independent research institute affiliated with Yale University and named for famed 19th-century inventor and entrepreneur John Bartlett Pierce.
The New Haven Innovation Labs incubator houses 7,630 square feet of lab and office space for up to 19 startups inside the Pierce building at 290 Congress Ave., near the Yale Medical School. The project, a partnership with BioCT, recently wrapped up after more than a year of renovations funded by a $550,000 grant from CTNext, the state entrepreneurship program.
New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker said that startup lab space is still at a premium in the city although major new projects like the 101 College St. lab tower and the Elm City Bioscience Center at 55 Church St. are in the pipeline.
“In New Haven, biosciences, life sciences — that sector is growing almost exponentially,” Elicker said. “This is a vital component in the overall ecosystem of biosciences and making sure that New Haven is the future home for these types of things.”
Stanley Choy, co-chair of BioCT’s board of directors, said, “It’s exactly the kind of investment that New Haven needs. The incubator space is critical.”
“Connecticut is more than ready for this kind of boom,” said Tom Bradley of CTNext, recalling the early days of efforts like Science Park and other biotech incubators in New Haven. “It’s amazing how far Connecticut has come.”
Contact Liese Klein at lklein@newhavenbiz.com.
