University Lab Partners at UCI Research Park Celebrates 2-Years of Supporting Life Science Innovation with 36 Resident Companies

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Jan 26, 2022, 13:44 ET

IRVINE, Calif., Jan. 26, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- University Lab Partners (ULP), the premier, non-profit, wet lab/medtech incubator located in UCI Research Park, celebrates its 2-year anniversary with 100% capacity. A project of the Beall Family Foundation, ULP is home to 36 life science Resident companies with 143 members in drug discovery, diagnostics, medical devices, and therapeutics. In 2021, ULP Residents created 152 jobs and raised over $176MM in funding.

With over $3MM in shared scientific equipment and infrastructure, ULP expanded from 17,105 square feet to over 30,000 sq ft of lab and office space, including exclusive private labs. Residents thrive in a life science-focused, co-working community, benefitting from professional mentoring and consulting with Experts-in-Residence, networking events, and access to UCI technical core facilities.

Being co-located in the same building as UCI Beall Applied Innovation also facilitates company interactions with UCI business resources and SBDC @ UCI Beall Applied Innovation-affiliated entrepreneurs, as well as participation in workshops and seminars enhancing the life science entrepreneurial ecosystem. "Beall Applied Innovation is the innovation hub for technology commercialization at UCI. Two years ago, Ken Beall and ULP made a visionary move to bring commercially-available wet lab space to Orange County and the sheer growth since its inception shows the tremendous appetite and need for this type of space," said Errol Arkilic, Executive Director and Chief Innovation Officer of UCI Beall Applied Innovation.

In addition to supporting the regional commercialization efforts, ULP's community-serving, workforce development programs served over 400 students across Orange County in 2021 during the global pandemic. "We are deeply committed to making life science, STEM experiences accessible to everyone by providing real-world, hand-on biotech education that enhances current offerings at the high schools, community colleges, and universities. At the exploratory phase, we want to reach as many students as possible, especially underrepresented minorities in this sector, so all students are aware of the opportunities in innovation careers and can consider life sciences as a future career option as these careers offer sustainable wages to live and thrive in Orange County," said Karin Koch, Managing Director of University Lab Partners.

"We are very proud of the contribution University Lab Partners has made to the Southern California Entrepreneurial ecosystem over the last two years," says Ken Beall, Founder and President of University Lab Partners. "The team at University Lab Partners is committed to helping life science companies flourish, as well as provide career pathways for the local community to join the vibrant and growing local life science industry. It will be exciting to see the future impact University Lab Partners will deliver to Southern California.

About University Lab Partners:
University Lab Partners (ULP) is a premier, nonprofit, wet lab incubator located in Orange County, CA. ULP offers state-of-the-art wet lab facilities along with the benefits of peer-to-peer interactions among a life science-focused entrepreneurial community. ULP is a project of The Beall Family Foundation.

SOURCE University Lab Partners