New CIC Ready-to-Work Lab Spaces Expand the St. Louis Life Science Innovation Hub

1) CIC at South Sarah recently renovated your shared labs, can you tell us more about the purpose of your wet labs?

Our labs are here to support St. Louis in becoming a premier hub of life science activity. The city has a lot going for it—outstanding talent from our universities, incredible resources in Cortex and BioSTL, and a superbly low cost of living. By adding our ready-to-work lab spaces to the existing infrastructure, our goal is to support and grow the city’s capacity for entrepreneurship and innovation.

As St. Louis emerges as a preeminent hub of biosciences and agriculture technology activity, our recent renovation project was specifically designed to help scientists develop solutions for some of the most significant global challenges, with resources and space to support startups, scale-ups, researchers, and innovators.

2) Why are the Cortex Campus and CIC such great spots for shared laboratories?

Cortex not only holds an incredibly convenient, central location in the city, but the organization has worked hard to attract activity and talent. BioSTL also calls Cortex home, and their ability to support, nurture, and grow life science companies is unparalleled. CIC’s labs are designed to complement these existing resources in such a way that makes Cortex the undeniable destination for anyone looking to start or grow a life science company.

3) How are you building a unique innovation community through the equipment and resources?

One thing you’ll always hear us tout at CIC is the power of proximity — through community events and programming, as well as our physical locations, we’re strategically creating spaces where people have the opportunity to learn from each other and meet new connections who are (quite literally) just around the corner.

Life science companies are often (and understandably) concerned about intellectual property, leading them to work in relative secrecy. Our community is unique because it not only offers a necessary degree of IP privacy, but also encourages these companies to work together to help solve their most difficult problems. 

We’ve seen amazing things happen when innovators put their heads together, and that happens in our labs every day.

4) What are the options available for those looking to expand into your space?

We have everything from a single lab bench, supported by a suite of shared equipment (provided graciously by partners like Thermo Fisher and Eppendorf); to large, multi-bench labs capable of R&D or production work. We also have office, coworking, and meeting spaces to support teams outside of their lab work, along with access to unparalleled shared spaces and amenities.

5) Who are the right people for the CIC labs and where do they go to learn more?

CIC supports companies at every stage, and our labs are perfect for those looking for a turnkey solution in a vibrant community. The best way to learn more is to see our spaces in person — schedule a tour with our team or find additional information on our website.