Materials science innovation in the new economy can be very capital intensive for start-ups – particularly in the energy and biomaterials sectors. Included on a considerable list of critical needs are access to knowledge and science capital, chemistry, pilot testing and infrastructure support. Enter the Innovation and Materials Science Institute (IMMSI) at Eastman Business Park.
A focus of this year's TechConnect World Innovation Conference and Exposition, in Washington, D.C., IMMSI's unique, fully-integrated commercialization accelerator was presented June 15th as part of a TechConnect forum on Advanced Manufacturing. See the link here.
“IMMSI @ EBP is uniquely suited to provide a pre-existing infrastructure, and the skilled workforce and commercialization capabilities to bridge the gap between TRL3/MRL 3 and TRL10/MRL 10 companies," said Mike Alt, director of Eastman Business Park, an IMMSI founder and TechConnect presenter.
“IMMSI @ EBP offers post-incubation companies low-cost options for lab and office space, located within a growing manufacturing and technology ecosystem," Alt said. “Adjacent services in specialty chemicals, distillation processes, materials formulation, testing and analytical capabilities are also available through the IMMSI model."
IMMSI has already achieved critical mass, Alt said, with approximately 16 of the 57 tenants on site considered to be clean tech companies. They include a diesel fuel catalyst producer to a company that converts industrial C02 into novel polymers.
IMMSI @ EBP is anchored by many unique and valuable assets that are located on the site of Eastman Kodak's film manufacturing center for over a century.