Featured Industries

Life Sciences

Improving Physical & Fiscal Health

Theyre important goals for every community. Thirty years ago, Athens County and Ohio University formed an entrepreneurial partnership to achieve them. Its been paying off to the tune of multimillions in revenues and royalties, and the biggest scientific breakthroughs are still ahead.

Supporting Players

In the late 70s, a team of Ohio University scientists developed the worlds first transgenic animal. That little mouse was the beginning of the biotech boom.

Athens first venture capitalist, Wilfred Konneker, created a business incubator to support start-up companies built around rapidly developing new technologies. The Innovation Center continues to be a vital, dynamic resource for a variety of burgeoning businesses.

It currently boasts the only R&D life sciences labs available in our half of the state. No wonder the Innovation Center successfully birthed Diagnostic Hybrids Inc., now the worlds largest cell culture provider.

Ohio Universitys Edison Biotechnology Institute (EBI) has been developing and commercializing innovative medical technologies since 1984.

EBI has racked up 26 U.S patents, one international patent and 13 active invention disclosures. Its platform technology has been the basis for eight start-up companies. One of those companies, Sensus, developed the drug Somavert which now generates over $110 million in annual revenues for pharmaceutical giant Pfizer.

EBI and the Innovation Center give university researchers the opportunity to straddle the worlds of academia and private enterprise. Acting as serial entrepreneurs, nationally recognized scientists like Dr. John Kopchick can take their biotech discoveries from the laboratory all the way to the boardroom.

Our Health Care Community

The foundation for the success of Athens Countys life sciences industry has been interdisciplinary partnerships. Our regions major health care providers OBleness Health System, “OhioHealth”: http://www.ohiohealth.com/, Holzer Health Systems and Clinics are able to provide research-informed, quality care because of their relationships with each other and the scientific community.

Business Assistance

1st Stop Business Connection
Create a free, customized kit will all the info and forms needed to build your Ohio-based business.
Procurement Technical Assistance Centers
Learn how to bid on and win local, state and federal government contracts.
Small Business Development Center
Our local branch of the statewide SBDC network provides small business consulting at low-to-no cost.
The Innovation Center
Ohio Universitys business incubator provides expertise and office space.

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Diagnostic Hybrids CEO Dave Scholl owes it all to OU… Read More