Ohio Governor Ted Strickland yesterday announced the designation of an Ohio Hub of Innovation and Opportunity in Akron to assist Ohio’s biomaterials industry. The Akron Biomaterials Commercialization Hub will bring together the Austen BioInnovation Institute of Akron, the University of Akron, Summa Health System, Akron General Medical Center, Akron Children’s Hospital, the Akron Global Business Accelerator, Summit County and the City of Akron.

The Akron Biomaterials Commercialization Hub will focus on orthopedics and wound-healing applications, and will be established in the existing Akron Biomedical Corridor. The Hub will assist the city with becoming a globally-recognized leader in the commercialization of innovative biomaterials technologies, products and services. The Hub will also attract and provide assistance to international biomaterials companies as they enter the U.S. market.

Ohio’s Hubs of Innovation and Opportunity are supported by the Ohio Department of Development and work to leverage a region’s resources and investments to attract clusters of connected businesses, encourage new investments and an influx of talented workers, and help to create new opportunities to grow jobs and develop Ohio’s key industries.

“Hubs are one piece of a larger strategy to strengthen our workforce, our economy, and our state,” Strickland said.  “In recent months we’ve seen job growth in Ohio again because in recent years we’ve been investing in Ohio’s advantages. I believe in Ohio because we’ve never given up. I believe in Ohio because of the great strengths of our cities and regions, including this biomaterials hub here in Akron.” A state investment of $250,000, administered by the Ohio Department of Development, will support the Hub.

The plan for the Biomaterials Commercialization Hub is to help the Akron region unify its healthcare assets into a single planning district that will guide the city’s future development, expanding on Mayor Don Plusquellic’s 2006 strategy that created the Akron Biomedical Corridor.

“This further capitalizes on Akron’s world-class biomaterials expertise,” said Mayor Don Plusquellic. “Since we announced the Akron Biomedical Corridor in 2006, there has been a steady progression linking our global reputation in polymers and materials science to our nationally-recognized leadership in medical research.”

Ohio Hubs: Yesterday’s announcement is the fifth Ohio Hub designation, following the Consumer Marketing Hub of Innovation announcement in Cincinnati on July 9, the Northwest Ohio Solar Energy Innovation Hub announcement in Toledo in June, the Cleveland Health and Technology Corridor Hub announcement in June and the Ohio Aerospace Hub announcement in Dayton last September. The Ohio Hubs program develops a unique, concentrated environment that spurs innovation, company growth, employment, capital investment, product sales and community development in designated areas.

To be designated an Ohio Hub, a region must identify core strengths and develop a strategic plan for urban revitalization. The designation consists of a commitment from both the state and the region to work collaboratively and target economic development efforts toward building upon those identified strengths.

Tags: akron, bioinnovation, biomaterials, Biomedical, cleveland plus, ohio hubs

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