Event celebrates growth of innovation center
May 28, 2002
KALAMAZOO -- A reception and recognition ceremony marking the growth and development of the Southwest Michigan Innovation Center will be held on WMU's Parkview Campus Tuesday, June 4.
"Celebrating Innovation" is slated for 2 to 4 p.m. at the Business Technology and Research Park. The event is intended to recognize the community for its support of the project and to celebrate the center's early success. The event, which is free and open to the public, will feature a viewing area to show what the center will look like.
A business incubator and accelerator for life sciences firms, the Southwest Michigan Innovation Center is temporarily located on the WMU campus in McCracken Hall. A permanent facility is under construction at the BTR Park, with completion scheduled for late this year. The center was launched in December 2000.
Organized and run by Southwest Michigan First, a local economic development agency, the Innovation Center already has attracted four tenants: Esperion Therapeutics, Chicago-based NephRx Corp., Biomes Inc. and CTS Management. A fifth company, NanoMed Pharmaceuticals, has publicly announced its intention to locate at the center.
Hosts of the "Celebrating Innovation" event include Southwest Michigan First, WMU, the city of Kalamazoo, Kalamazoo County and the Kalamazoo Community Foundation.
Media contact: Jessica English, 269 387-8400, jessica.english@wmich.edu