U.S. Dept. of Commerce grant to fund lab space for bioscience startups at the University

The budding Los Angeles biosciences industry got a major boost from the federal government on Sept. 30 with a $3.2 million grant to Cal State LA.

The funds from the U.S. Dept. of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration will be used to construct a new laboratory building at Cal State LA. But unlike academic laboratories, the Cal State LA biosciences incubator will provide laboratory space for startup scientific companies. That model has been successful in the San Francisco Bay Area and elsewhere in the United States, but not yet developed in Los Angeles.

Mayor Garcetti, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and federal officials have been eager to find ways to create high-paying jobs and develop new companies through the biosciences industry.