The incubator promises to give birth to new opportunities for students, businesses.
Los Angeles---Cal State L.A. President William A. Covino and Los Angeles County Supervisor Gloria Molina today launched a new incubator on campus that will provide students and start-up businesses an opportunity to work together on innovative bioscience projects.
The incubator, which is called BioSpace L.A., is funded with a $3.5 million grant from the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. It will feature up to 20,000 square feet of lab space dedicated to bioscience research and collaboration. Molina, whose district includes Cal State L.A., led the effort to secure the funding.
“Cal State L.A. has a long history of educating minority undergraduate and master’s students who go on to earn Ph.D.s at top research universities across the country,” Supervisor Molina said. “This diverse group of graduates reflects the makeup of the Eastside, and what better way to retain these talented students than to provide them high quality jobs and entrepreneurship opportunities so that they can continue to live and invest in this community.”
Bioscience is a growing industry. As other industries shed jobs during the recession, L.A.’s bioscience industry continued to grow. Bioscience deals with the structure and behavior of living organisms. The bioscience industry includes major areas such as agriculture, drugs and pharmaceuticals, medical devices and instruments, hospitals and laboratories, and research and testing.
Covino thanked Molina and the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors for the grant and for the opportunity the lab will offer students.
“We are grateful to our friend and staunch supporter, Supervisor Molina, and to the Board of Supervisors for this generous grant,” Covino said to the gathering Thursday. “This kind of strong support allows us to grow as a university and to develop even more accomplished students.”
Covino is a proponent of active learning environments that are permeated with curricular, pedagogical and technological innovation. The new lab will become that type of environment, a space that offers students an invaluable experience, while also serving the community and the county.
“When the university is a hub for applied research and scholarship that produces new solutions, the local community, the region, and students can thrive,” Covino said.
Thursday’s launch included a tour of current labs and a presentation by students in Cal State L.A.’s Minority Opportunities in Research programs.
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Cal State L.A. is a university dedicated to engagement, service, and the public good. Founded in 1947, the University is home to over 23,000 active students, and 235,000 distinguished alumni, who are as diverse as the city we serve. Located in the heart of Los Angeles, Cal State L.A. has long been recognized as an engine of economic and social mobility. Led by an award-winning faculty, the University offers nationally recognized programs in science, the arts, business, criminal justice, engineering, nursing, education and the humanities.
Cal State L.A. is home to the critically-acclaimed Luckman Fine Arts Complex, Pat Brown Institute for Public Affairs, Hertzberg-Davis Forensic Science Center, Hydrogen Research and Fueling Facility, Billie Jean King Sports Complex, TV, Film and Media Center and the Center for Engagement, Service, and the Public Good. For more information, visit CalStateLA.edu, or like us at Facebook.com/CalStateLA.
11/20/14