New Bio-Research & Development Growth (BRDG) Park Wins 2008 Outstanding Local Government Achievement Award
St. Louis, December 03, 2008 – The Bio-Research & Development Growth (BRDG) Park at the Danforth Plant Science Center, a new bio-park campus for plant and life sciences research and commercial development, has received a 2008 Outstanding Local Government Achievement Award from the East-West Gateway Council of Governments, the St. Louis area’s federally designated metropolitan planning organization.
BRDG Park received the award in recognition of its partnerships with the St. Louis Economic Council, St. Louis Community College, City of Creve Coeur and the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center in establishing the most prominent bio-research park located at the national and international center of plant and life sciences.
“BRDG Park represents visible and dramatic progress toward the Danforth Center’s goal of enhancing our region as a world center for plant and life sciences,” said Danforth Center’s Chief Operating Officer and President of BRDG Park Sam Fiorello. “We greatly appreciate the tremendous support and efforts we received from the public sector.”
Scheduled to open the first of three buildings in Spring 2009, BRDG Park will house state-of-the art wet laboratory and office space specifically designed to support the needs of emerging plant and life science companies. Tenants in the first 110,000 sq. ft, four-story facility will include the NIDUS Center for Scientific Enterprise, which is a prominent incubator, Monsanto and Divergence.
In addition, one of the most unique features at BRDG Park will be the classroom and laboratory space designed for the on-site technical workforce training program of St. Louis Community College. As the largest community college in Missouri and one of the largest two-year colleges in the nation, St. Louis Community College’s program for bio-technician training has been recognized for excellence by the Missouri Biotechnology Industry Organization (MOBIO).
About the SLCEC
St. Louis County Economic Council provides innovative solutions to companies and communities through business development, financing programs, business incubator opportunities, real estate and community development programs, and international expertise through the World Trade Center Saint Louis.
About BRDG Park at the Danforth Center
Bio-Research & Development Growth (BRDG) Park at the Danforth Plant Science Center helps life sciences companies bridge research, resources and relationships to achieve commercial success. In addition to providing world-class wet laboratories, office space and a prominent incubator, BRDG Park’s location on the Danforth Center’s campus facilitates access to the intellectual capital of top scientists, as well as to greenhouse, growth chambers, microscopy and proteomics facilities and other vital resources. Located in suburban St. Louis County, Missouri, BRDG Park is being developed by Wexford Science+Technology LLC, a privately held real estate developer and investment company that has developed six major research parks nationwide.
About the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center
Founded in 1998, the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center is a not-for-profit research institute with a global vision to improve the human condition. Research at the Danforth Center enhances the nutritional content of plants to improve human health, increase agricultural production to create a sustainable food supply, and build scientific capacity to generate economic growth in the St. Louis region and throughout Missouri.