30 Sep Early-stage biotech startups find common ground at Forward BIOLABS
At Forward BIOLABS in University Research Park, a nonprofit coworking life sciences lab founded in September 2018, members can rent space by the 6-foot bench.
Jennifer Swanson, a lab technician at Endsulin
Imagine the sort of coworking space we’ve all grown used to, but this time it’s for scientists. It’s a place for cash-strapped research teams that have taken the leap and launched small biotech startups with big implications. Maybe they’re working on health innovations, like cancer-targeting immunotherapies or potentially lifesaving medical devices. Maybe they want to create smarter pesticides, or grow “seafood” from cell cultures — but they can’t afford to set up a lab.
At Forward BIOLABS in University Research Park, a nonprofit coworking life sciences lab founded in September 2018, members can rent space by the 6-foot bench. Then they share lab equipment that’s cost-prohibitive but so critical that many companies wouldn’t be able to start without it, in some cases saving as much as $500,000 in startup costs and six to 12 months of work. They also get access to office space, cubicles, desks, personal protective equipment, lab coats, conference rooms and a kitchen. Places like this exist on the coasts in the major tech hubs, but they’re a rarity in this region.