In an effortto expand Maryland’s bioscience hub past the famed Interstate 270 corridor, the state will provide partial funding to expand two incubators in Washington and Frederick counties.
The Technical Innovation Center in Hagerstown will add 4,000 square feet of lab space to its existing incubator by mid-2007, while the Frederick Innovative Technology Center Inc. will add 10,000 square feet of lab space by October.
“We’re basically 20 minutes from the I-270 corridor,” said Chris Marschner, director for the Technical Innovation Center. “It’s a natural extension. There are quite a few people who live here and make the commute. This is going to give them an opportunity to work closer to home.”
The Technical Innovation Center expansion will be the first state-funded lab space in Washington County. About two-thirds of the cost of the expansion — which has an estimated price tag of $1.3 million — will come from state funds, including money from the Maryland Technology Development Corp., and the rest from the county.
The enhancements to the Innovation Center are part of a statewide push to involve all counties in the “knowledge-based economy,” said Jim Rzepkowski, assistant secretary for eastern, southern and western Maryland’s Department of Business and Economic Development.
Much of the state’s bioscience work is currently in Montgomery County, but the expansion should help — not hurt — that county, Rzepkowski said.
“There is enough to go around,” he said. “This will not in any way harm the I-270 Corridor. … It will provide greater opportunities to
expand their operations to where it’s more affordable.”
Instead of shuffling companies from Montgomery County to other parts of the state, the new lab space will attract new or expanding companies to the state, Rzepkowski said.
“You can only build so much in that corridor,” he said. “As research and development continues you may still have offices in that corridor, but you might need satellite offices elsewhere.”
Unlike Washington County, which is hoping to attract bioscience companies with the new lab, Frederick County is expanding its lab space to meet existing demand. In fact, the county is scouting locations to further expand its lab space to 50,000 square feet in the next few years.
“Our demand has required us to expand and get another facility,” said Mike Dailey, executive director of the Frederick Innovative Technology Center. “We think that even with the two facilities today our demand will outpace that.”
Incubator Plans
» The Technical Innovation Center is on the Hagerstown Community College campus. The expansion will be located in a separate building about three miles off campus and include 4,000 square feet of lab space to accommodate six to eight start-up biotech and life sciences companies.
» The Frederick Innovative Technology Center Inc. will add 10,000 square feet to its existing lab space. The new lab space will also be in a separate building and accommodate 10 to 12 start-ups.
