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Area Development - Site Selection, Facility Planning and Workforce Development

Science Accelerator Opens In Prince William County, Virginia, With First Tenant

06/13/2014
Prince William Science Accelerator officially opened with its first tenant ISOThrive, a start-up life sciences company. Anchored in Innovation Park in Prince William County, Virginia, near George Mason University, the Prince William Science Accelerator is the only public-private commercially available property featuring wet laboratory spaces in the Northern part of the Commonwealth.

According to Prince William County Department of Economic Development, the facility is designed as an innovative environment for entrepreneurial research and product development. It works in conjunction with existing industry and universities to add a further key element to the growing life sciences ecosystem in Prince William County.

The 9,126 sq. ft. facility houses a total of nine newly built wet laboratory spaces, ranging from 435 sq. ft. to 1,141 sq. ft. in a variety of floor plan layouts and common lab equipment. Each wet lab space is individually secured and provides emergency power outlets for critical storage equipment. The facility is configured with a front office and access to two conference rooms, a common kitchen/office and receiving area.

"This is yet another testimony to Prince William County’s commitment to developing the life sciences industry in our county," said Corey Stewart, Chairman of the Prince William Board of County Supervisors.

"We’re pleased to not only welcome ISOThrive, but delighted to provide an opportunity for this new high-tech start-up company, and for the future tenants who will locate here. We look forward to the Accelerator maturing into a full-fledged center of economic growth that will attract high paying jobs to Prince William County," added Stewart.

"The Commonwealth of Virginia is thrilled to see that the vision for this science accelerator has become a reality with the first tenant taking up residence in this innovative wet lab," said Syd Dorsey, Advisor for Small Business Development at the Office of the state Secretary of Commerce and Trade.

"Being the first tenant of the Prince William Science Accelerator has already allowed us to establish key research collaboration with George Mason University to further develop the science of supporting a healthy microbiome," said Jack Oswald, CEO of ISOThrive. "Together we are working on the most important breakthrough in human health of the last 20 years."

According to the Prince William County Department of Economic Development its area features an “ideal location for businesses seeking a location in the Mid-Atlantic region.” Amenities include a “favorable blend of large land parcels, multi-use zoned sites, incentives, reliable power and ample fiber optic availability coupled with the lowest programmable computer taxes in the region.” In addition, ”Prince William County provides access to an outstanding talent pool of highly-skilled, culturally diverse labor; 41 percent of the workforce has 4-year degrees.”

In March 2014, Prince William County and George Mason University formally opened the Simulation and Game Institute in Innovation Park. SGI offers cutting edge game design research and development, simulation and game training and certification; visualization and simulation software and rapid-prototyping development.

Other resident life sciences companies in Innovation Park include: American Type Culture Collection; Corning Life Sciences; Virginia Forensics Lab; the Mason/NIH Level-3 Biomedical Research Laboratory; and Mason’s Center for Applied Proteomics and Molecular Medicine.

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