“We at the University of Louisville understand that it isn’t enough just to conduct research. We have to translate that research into real-world applications that spur economic growth and improve the quality of life for people in the community and the state. That’s what Nucleus is all about,” said President James Ramsey at the event.
“When the University of Louisville Foundation created Nucleus, we committed to providing space and support for companies that want to bring their new ideas and technologies to the marketplace,” he said.
Space is the reason Nucleus opened its facility to invited community members and the media Tuesday.
With the addition of six new companies and the expansion of another, the Nucleus Innovation Park-Jefferson Street (formerly MedCenter 3) is nearing capacity. About 130 employees now work in the building, according to Nucleus CEO Vickie Yates Brown.
The heightened interest in the location, she said, shows the need for more space and proves that Louisville is becoming a hub for entrepreneurs and companies built on innovation.
Incubators like this are critically important to a strong local economy, said Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer, who also spoke at the event.
Companies in the Nucleus Innovation Park-Jefferson Street range from those for the health sciences and nanotechnology applications for new forms of energy, to one that scientifically helps military veterans find careers in Fortune 1000 companies.
These companies are pioneers of their generation, Brown said.
Here’s a list of the building’s tenants:
- Advanced Energy Materials Inc. Creating nanowire-based materials and processes for the renewable energy industry
- Kentuckiana Medical Reciprocal Risk Retention Group. Provides liability insurance for medical professionals with UofL Physicians, UofL Hospital and the university’s medical and dental schools.
- LifeTouch Technologies LLC. Produces a transparent film that can be applied to hard surfaces to help control the spread of infections associated with health care.
- Louisville Bioscience Inc. Developing a blood test to diagnose cancer, automimmune disorders, infections and other diseases.
- PGXL Laboratories. Performs genetic testing to help physicians identify and chart effective treatments for their patients.
- Pharmaron. Offers research and development for the pharmaceutical industry in chemistry, biology, toxicology and other disciplines.
- PRFusion. A public relations firm specializing in technologies such as search engine optimization, social media engagement and digital brand management.
- Regenerex. Perfecting a bone marrow transplant that has the potential to cure sickle cell disease and successfully treat other diseases and genetic disorders.
- Synergy/Dev LLC. Designs custom software for health and medical record-keeping at acute care clinics, pain management centers, pharmacies and other businesses.
- The Company Leader. Uses a proprietary scientific method to match former military personnel with careers in Fortune 1000 companies.
- The Iasis Group Inc. Owns and operates a cancer radiation treatment center and manages a chemotherapy treatment practice at Jewish Hospital-St. Mary’s Hospital.
- TNG Pharmaceutical. Formed by MBA students at UofL’s College of Business, this company developed FlyVax, a patented vaccine that protects cattle from parasitic horn flies.
- University Physicians’ Associates. Delivers care in 78 medical specialties from pediatrics to geriatrics. Its physicians also are professors and researchers at UofL’s School of Medicine.
- Edumedics. (expected to move into building in September) Offers customized management programs designed to improve employee health and control health care costs.
- International Center for Long Term Care Innovation (InnovateLTC). A business accelerator for companies developing services and products to improve quality of life for the aging.
- MetaCyte Business Lab. A UofL Foundation subsidiary that helps UofL scientists and inventors commercialize their discoveries and build their businesses.
- Nucleus. A UofL Foundation subsidiary that links the university with the business community to advance economic development in the city and region.
- UofL Office of Technology Transfer. Helps UofL researchers move their innovations from the lab to the marketplace through patents, licenses and intellectual property agreements.
- GLI’s EnterpriseCORP. Entrepreneurship-development arm of Greater Louisville Inc., providing education and fund raising assistance to entrepreneurs and companies.
- Sickle Cell Association of Kentuckiana. Offers education and support for people with sickle cell disease and their families and works to build public awareness of the disease.
Nucleus also leases the former MedCenter 1 building at Jackson and Broadway – now named Nucleus Innovation Park-Broadway – and broke ground this summer for an eight-story, 180,000-square-foot facility on the former Haymarket property.