An open house April 13 provided the perfect opportunity for faculty, residents, staff, and students to learn more about the Innovation Center.
As of January 1, 2016, the Innovation Center, formerly known as the Southwest Michigan Innovation Center or SMIC, is owned and operated by the medical school. Located in Western Michigan University’s Business, Technology and Research Park, the 69,000-square-foot facility was designed to nurture the formation and growth of innovative, entrepreneurial life-science businesses. It is currently home to 17 client companies engaged in a variety of laboratory research endeavors. The Innovation Center is an important component of the medical school’s long-term research strategy.
Client companies set up special informational areas and met with attendees to highlight their research areas and brief remarks by Dean Hal B. Jenson; Associate Dean for Research, Dale D. Vandré, PhD, and Donald R. Parfet, MBA, founder and general partner of the Apjohn Group and longtime Innovation Center chair of the board of managing directors.
The open house ran from 4:30 to 6 p.m. to allow visitors a chance for refreshments. tours, and conversation.