The BiG deal: BioInnovations Gateway merges innovation and education.

• Author: Whitesides, Hilary Ingoldsby
• Position: Techknowledge

It has been years in the making--an idea that after extensive planning and preparation has emerged as a business incubator for life-science companies. The BioInnovations Gateway (BiG), which opened in October 2009, is a unique concept that has put Utah on the map for science and business innovation.

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When Tamara Goetz, state science advisor for the Governor's Office of Economic Development (GOED), first presented the idea of a business incubator, the suggestion stalled because of the risk involved in the long-term return on investment. Goetz realized the facility needed to be advantageous to more people, and that's when one of her chief passions, education, came into play.

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"I have always believed that we need to create programs that bring education, training and economic development together at a crossroads so the programs can be a winning situation for everyone," Goetz says. "One can't work without the other if you want it to be totally effective."

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Never before had an incubator facility partnered with the education sector, but Goetz could see the potential. Not only would the incubator provide affordable and equipped lab spaces, but would also partner with local high schools and colleges to give students real-world experience and create an immediate pipeline of talent for Utah's startup companies. With funding from the Department of Labor, USTAR and a partnership with Granite School District, BiG was born.

Providing Solutions

According to Goetz, the main challenges for Utah's life science, biotech and bio-manufacturing startup companies are equipment costs and access to skilled talent--challenges BiG aims to answer.

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"On a national basis, when I talk about these programs in other states, people's jaws just drop," Goetz says. "They are jealous as to how easy it has been to work with our school districts and universities and create valuable partnerships."

The BiG incubator hosts 25,000 square feet of space at the Granite Technical Institute, which includes lab space, offices and classrooms. And because business incubation isn't just about the facility, the incubator also provides business mentoring and marketing for the tenants.

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"Inventors are typically brilliant, but don't always have the business sense they need to run their company," says Suzanne Winters, BiG director. "We like to partner people up and develop milestones and a...