The University of Arizona Center for Innovation (UACI) at Oro Valley is an incubator focused on supporting bioscience startups. It is part of the UACI startup incubator network that has outposts across the Southern Arizona region and a mission to grow scalable science and technology startups that fuel the Arizona economy. For nearly two decades, the program has directly served over 150 companies and impacted thousands of entrepreneurs. This is done through providing access to people, programming and places that help entrepreneurs take their companies from idea to market.
The Town of Oro Valley is where scientific collaboration, technology innovation and business opportunity are surrounded by the stunning Southern Arizona landscape. Oro Valley is already home to global bioscience, health care, and hi-tech companies, many of which are experiencing significant expansions.
The Town of Oro Valley, located northwest of Metro Tucson, is rated one of America’s best cities for its variety of life and bioscience disciplines. The Oro Valley area is a product of “organic” growth stemming from a variety of resources and is an exceptional place to live and work.
Innovation Park, situated in the heart of this growing region, is where the new bioscience incubator, UACI at Oro Valley is located. This location and proximity to business will strategically support an effort to grow more startups in the bioindustry within the Town of Oro Valley.
With this new business incubator in Innovation Park, the Town is poised to help launch and grow new life-science-oriented enterprises along with a diverse mix of new engineering and business services.
This facility will link the University of Arizona innovation ecosystem directly into the heartbeat of Oro Valley’s thriving bioscience sector and into the University of Arizona Veterinary College in Oro Valley.
The University of Arizona Center for Innovation at Oro Valley is paving the way to serve the bioscience entrepreneurial community with the construction of a new facility of 4,000 square feet of office and lab space. This new bioscience incubator has been developed with room for expansion.
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In addition to the space, startup teams have access to shared equipment they would not otherwise have the ability to access alone. Some of this equipment includes:
TheraCea Pharma recently won the UACI Sponsored Launch Fueled By BIOSA competition. They have received a sponsored year’s admission at the new bioscience incubator along with a cash prize of $5,000. The total package value is $15,000 and funded by the Bioindustry Organization of Southern Arizona (BIOSA).
Learn MoreThe University of Arizona broke ground on this location on September 4, 2019, with nearly 300 people in attendance.
This support for bioscience companies specifically was identified as a critical need in several reports over the years including the Sun Corridor Report: Securing the Lead 2013 and the Arizona’s Bioscience Roadmap, produced by the Flinn Foundation in 2019. Business and community leaders came together to develop a non-profit organization with the task to fundraise and facilitate the progression of this incubator, with the main purpose to grow the life science industry sector in Southern Arizona.
“The innovation ecosystem plays a large role in the fourth industrial revolution,” says UA President Robbins. “Supporting startups is not one specific event, it is an entire continuum. It begins by encouraging an entrepreneurial spirit from the beginning, advancing research to the point of scientific breakthrough, identifying markets for the new technology, supporting and launching businesses, building corporate connections and thus beginning the cycle all over again to support new ventures. The Ventana Medical Systems founded by Dr. Thomas Grogan, a University of Arizona pathologist, and sold to pharmaceutical giant Roche embodies that innovation continuum. Building on that momentum, we are thrilled to develop the UA incubator in Oro Valley,” said UA President Robert C. Robbins.
The Town of Oro Valley is proud to be a partner and supporter of the new University of Arizona Center for Innovation at Oro Valley. This bioscience-focused business incubator will enable new start-up companies to take advantage of the tremendous support and guidance of UACI staff, the knowledge and expertise of like-minded professionals at area bio-tech businesses, and the cadre of dedicated volunteers who helped shepherd the way for this facility over the last several years. We look forward to supporting the growth of future successful bioscience businesses right here in Oro Valley.
- Mary Jacobs, Town Manager, Town of Oro Valley
“BIOSA’s mission to support our life science industry includes growing the sector through innovation, entrepreneurs and startups. We recognize this support is critical for early-stage companies working to take scientific breakthroughs to market. Start-up companies are at the forefront of advancing viable solutions to world problems and can be fast-tracked via critical startup support that is why we have teamed up with UACI,” said Nina Ossanna chair of BIOSA.
- Nina Ossanna, BIOSA
UACI is providing fabulous support to startup companies by connecting them to the resources of the University of Arizona and the Tucson Community. The new facility in Oro Valley is located in an area where some of the most valuable bioindustry leaders in the State of Arizona are located, which provides the companies the opportunity to connect to those businesses for a successful launch and expansion. TheraCea team is very excited to be able to use the laboratory and office space to advance their technical work, business mentorship and commercialization programs to move the company to the market.
- Iman Daryaei, Chief Executive OfficerUACI at Oro Valley 1800 E Innovation Park Drive. Oro Valley, AZ
