Missouri Innovation Center
The Missouri Innovation Center is a non-profit organization focused on providing support for high growth business ventures that improve human life and sustainability. We are motivated by good ideas, exceptional people, and contributing to the growth of Mid-Missouri by attracting high growth businesses in need of assistance navigating the landscape of commercialization.
Through offering services in mentoring, securing financial support, and providing necessary resources for conducting successful and focused research and development, we help to create more quality jobs in our region, improve the local economy, and develop technologies that are capable of improving the quality of human life.
Communities that pursue technology-led economic development strategies employ three synergistic approaches: they license technologies to generate capital to intensify research and innovation; they create home-grown technology ventures; and they recruit technology companies to their region.
Missouri Innovation Center supports all three of these strategies by leveraging research and innovation by and with the University of Missouri for the benefit of the region and the state.
Missouri Innovation Center’s programs fall into the following categories:
- Developing the culture and processes for technology entrepreneurship in Mid-Missouri.
- Delivering full-cycle technology commercialization services.
- Operating a life science business incubator in affiliation with the University of Missouri.
- Providing a business mentoring and incubation program.
Heritage
Missouri Innovation Center was started in 1984 as part of the State’s initiative to create economic development support systems through utilization of the State’s University systems. Our organization was started with the vision to help translate innovative research into profitable and sustainable technologies, processes, and products that benefit society. We keep an open door to innovators and entrepreneurs.
Missouri Innovation Center started as a small organization but in 2009, we were selected by the University of Missouri to operate and maintain the MU Life Science Incubator at Monsanto Place. Within this relationship, we select businesses well suited for the program, lease space for technology and bio-tech start-up companies, and provide mentorship throughout the processes of commercialization.
We maintain an affiliation with the Trulaske College of Business and work closely with Centennial Investors, a Mid-Missouri based angel investor network. We support the University by providing commercialization advice to all of the colleges on campus and we support Centennial Investors by pre-screening potential start-up companies and investment requests.
Life Science Business Incubator
Since 2009, we have served as the resident manager of the MU Life Science Business Incubator. Our facility is currently home to 17 high growth businesses. Within our facility, we provide 33,000 sq. ft. of access to world class biomedical, life science, and engineering laboratory suites which allows us to provide an efficient full service commercialization program to our residents. Our facility provides access to nuclear research facilities and collaborative R&D opportunities using the University Of Missouri’s cutting edge equipment and facilities while also providing access to distinguished researchers, and access to library or business school resources.
Read more about the Life Science Business Incubator >