Leaders tour BioInnovation Institute headquarters
By Cheryl Powell
About 150 health-care, community and state leaders and other invited guests celebrated the recent opening of the new headquarters for the Austen BioInnovation Institute in Akron during a ceremony and tour Friday at the facility.
The BioInnovation Institute is a partnership among the city’s three hospital systems, the University of Akron and Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED), with support from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.
The institute pulls together the University of Akron’s polymer-science knowledge, the medical college’s musculoskeletal and research expertise and the strength in orthopedics, wound healing and other clinical areas at Akron Children’s Hospital, Akron General and Summa health systems.
“Because of the belief in the power of collaboration, we've done something here in town that is truly magical,” said William Considine, president and chief executive of Children's and the BioInnovation Institute’s board chair. “ ... We've been recognized around the county now as a center for entrepreneurship and innovation.”
The opening this summer of the $13.3 million headquarters at 47 N. Main St. in downtown Akron is considered a pivotal step in the partnership’s attempt to expand the local economy through medical-related research, education and commercialization while also working to improve the health of area residents.
About the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
Knight Foundation supports transformational ideas that promote quality journalism, advance media innovation, engage communities and foster the arts. We believe that democracy thrives when people and communities are informed and engaged. For more, visit www.knightfoundation.org.