SCRA MUSC Innovation Center at Charleston

This newest component of Charleston’s growing biotechnology cluster is designed to support the sophisticated requirements of early-stage to mature biotechnology organizations. The 28,400 square foot facility will consist of flexible-use, multi-tenant laboratory and office space supporting biopharma, biomed and biotech research and commercialization. Ground was broken on the renovations to the building in March, 2009. Occupancy is planned for December, 2009. Leasing applications are currently being accepted.

Building Specifications Tenant Amenities
  • Base building – 28,400 sq. ft.
  • 11 wet labs equipped with case works
  • 660 – 1200 sq. ft. options
  • 13,000 sq. ft. flexible office space
  • Secure lab area accessible by card key
  • Tissue culture rooms available
  • Common shared lab area with the following equipment
    • Dishwasher
    • Distilled water
    • Sub-zero freezers
  • Shared dark room
  • 10 separate enclosed offices available in the lab area
  • Fully vented labs
  • Fire protection
  • $6M Investment
  • Parking provided
  • Common reception area; Receptionist provided
  • Common meeting rooms provided
  • Network access including email available
  • Administrative office assistance available
  • Flexible modular office configurations
  • 24 X 7 security monitoring
  • Police substation on site
  • Business, legal & financial planning assistance on site

For more information, please contact: John Gregg
645 Meeting Street, Charleston, SC
The SCRA MUSC Innovation Center at Charleston is located at the base of the new Cooper River Bridge along the Meeting Street gateway to Charleston’s historic district. The location provides easy access to the Charleston International Airport via Interstate 26. Its proximity to the Medical University of South Carolina facilitates its mission as a home for start-up companies emerging from university research.

 



 

 

 

By Chelsea Hadaway
chadaway@scbiznews.com
Published March 16, 2009

The SCRA MUSC Innovation Center, envisioned as an incubator for the region’s burgeoning knowledge-based economy, broke ground Friday (March 13, 2009) on the renovation of the former Weil’s Sleep Products mattress factory on Meeting Street.

Slated to open later this year, the center is a partnership between the S.C. Research Authority and the Medical University of South Carolina to provide a space for biotech startups.

Researchers and entrepreneurs voiced a need for such space with the level of research coming out of MUSC, said Steve Lanier, associate provost for research at the university. This center will provide a place to “nurture, sustain and retain” biotech entrepreneurs, he said. In addition to supporting the breakthroughs that come out of MUSC and adding to the knowledge economy in the Lowcountry, the Innovation Center also will have a “transformative effect on this neighborhood,” Charleston Mayor Joe Riley said.

The building — on upper Meeting Street where the ramps for Interstate 26 flow up and down — will house a police substation and a community meeting room, as well as the lab and equipment space.

The former factory will be completely renovated and restored. The original windows will be replicated and replaced, as will fixtures within the building, said Catherine Williams, spokeswoman for Choate Construction, the general contractor for the project. The interior also will have new mechanical, electrical, plumbing and fire suppression systems.

Bill Mahoney, CEO of SCRA, said he hopes this is just the beginning for biotech innovation centers in the area and that many more will follow in the coming years.

Riley agreed, saying Charleston should become a “national biotech and life sciences center.

 

 

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