For more information, please see the presentation (PDF, 2.3 MB).

Please contact Barb Hernandez at bhernandez@hiebing.com or Michael Gay at mgay@bioaggateway.com to schedule a meeting.

Download the presentation (PDF)

Cities across the country — and Madison in particular — are very aware of the potential and need for social and economic development change surrounding agriculture and food.

With respect to later, it is estimated that food production in the next decade will become much more decentralized due to food safety, food quality, and energy issues (to name a few reasons). Consumer education will help drive this market change toward sustainability. Locally, citizens are questioning how food is grown (organic), where it comes from (local), is it healthy (fresh, safe, slow foods), and is the product and it’s packaging sustainable (environmental, economic, and land use impacts).

Read the full story on IBMadison.com.

The BioAg Gateway recently announced that the Common Council has adopted a resolution granting the project $2.5 million in funding and property to construct the Midwest BioLink Commercialization and Business Center, a research facility where scientists will have the space and resources needed to ready their ideas for the commercial market. The BioAg Gateway will now be able to access as much as $4.5 million more in federal funding. Following this decision, the BioAg Gateway also launched a new Web site (www.bioaggateway.com) to encourage new business growth in the area.

“The BioAg Gateway could be a great catalyst that will leverage research and our already strong agriculture industry to build a stronger economy coming out of the recession,” said Mayor Dave Cieslewicz, who co-sponsored the resolution. “I’m pleased we can push ahead on securing federal dollars to move the project forward.”

The Midwest BioLink Commercialization and Business Center (BioLink) will include experimentation space, pilot processing, a controlled environment facility and plant science commercialization greenhouses. It will also have office space, wet labs and conference areas as well as offer business services and financial assistance to tenants.

“With the Midwest BioLink Commercialization and Business Center, Madison will be on the cutting edge of the industry, and there is enormous opportunity for the surrounding area to experience an influx of new business,” said Alder Judy Compton, a co-sponsor of the resolution. “We have a strong economic development team in place and with the great minds at the University of Wisconsin, MATC and throughout the city, we are poised to reap all of the rewards of having a world-renowned bioag commercialization campus.”

“The movement on this project allows the BioAg Gateway to take a major step forward,” said Michael Gay, CEcD, business development coordinator with the Office of Business Resources. “The Midwest BioLink Commercialization and Business Center is a key component of the BioAg Gateway campus as well as a crucial asset to attract researchers and achieve commercial success. With great support from Mayor Cieslewicz, Alder Compton and the entire Common Council, we are now able to start constructing this state-of-the art facility while promoting the project on our new Web site, which will encourage new business growth in Wisconsin.”

The project is set to create 50 jobs, with the opportunity to indirectly add 100 more to the area within the first three years. The BioAg Gateway has a prime location on the city’s southeast side, near Interstate 94, Highway 51 and the Beltline. More information about the project can be found at www.bioaggateway.com.

About the BioAg Gateway

The mission of the BioAg Gateway is to promote the growth, quality and success of the bio-ag industry in Madison and throughout the region. The BioAg Gateway continually seeks ways to help businesses and collaborative partners achieve and promote their full scientific, economic and social potential.

News – Midwest BioLink and Web site Launch (PDF version)