Nov. 17—ROCHESTER — A shared biotech lab could emerge on the top floor of the
Two Discovery Square complex
in downtown Rochester next year.
"We continue to make progress," Patrick Seeb, executive director of the Destination Medical Center Economic Development Agency, said Friday. "We anticipate the progress heating up."
The concept of a shared lab has been discussed since the DMC initiative launched, but added effort on preparing a proposal followed a demand study earlier this year.
A shared lab is designed to provide specific space for small companies and startup businesses that might not be able to set up a complete lab to operate independently. The proposed Discovery Square lab at 415 Second Ave. SW would focus on biotech needs.
"We can rent a bench in a room full of benches to a private laboratory," Chris Schad, the DMC EDA director of business development, told the state's DMC Corp. board during its Friday meeting.
In addition to having designated work space, a shared lab can offer access to some equipment that is shared between tenants, so they don't need to pay extra for added storage space.
"Effectively, that makes a lab larger, without having to pay the larger lab rent," Schad said.
At the same time, he said providing a space used by multiple tenants also leads to the sharing of ideas.
"It's easy to think of this as a place, but it's really a community," Schad said. "It's a community of like-minded people, who are trying to take big risks for big rewards to impact people's lives."
The proposed lab would be created on the top floor of Two Discovery Square, providing 25,000 square feet to create a variety of rentable workspaces, ranging from 2,000-square-foot private labs to benches in a shared space.
The building is owned by M.A. Mortenson Co., but the concept for the top floor calls for partnerships with the DMC EDA, Mayo Clinic and a private operator, as well as others.
"This is going to require partnerships between a number of organizations," Schad said.
The cost of creating the space is estimated in the "millions of dollars," but a final cost would depend on what type of amenities would be added, and Schad said it's too early to determine the scale of the project.
The DMC EDA could seek to use a portion of the $10 million budgeted for strategic redevelopment projects, but Schad said Mortenson and other partners would be expected to contribute to the work.
The next significant step is finalizing an agreement with an experienced private operator, which will be tasked with overseeing the operation and helping recruit tenants. Schad said that agreement could be ready by the DMCC board's February meeting, which would put the project on a timetable for opening as early as the final quarter of 2024.