A decade after it was founded by a consortium of academic and research institutions, Cortex has unveiled a plan to add 384,000 square feet of lab and office space to its St. Louis campus with an eye to drawing in 1,400 life science and research jobs to the area.
"Ten years ago we had a vision to transform an aging 200-acre industrial area into a vibrant, technology district," boasted John Dubinsky, the chairman of Cortex. "Cortex has since become an unquestioned success, positioning St. Louis as an emerging, national center of bioscience, technology, and innovation."
Actually, St. Louis has never figured prominently among the world's life science hubs. But the developers of this campus believe they have forged a key to winning a rep for cutting-edge work. And the area's universities are pitching in to make it a reality.
In this next phase, the life science research center developer Wexford Science and Technology will invest $100 million in the purchase of one building and redevelopment of a historic warehouse in midtown. And one of the founders of Cortex, BJC Healthcare, plans to build a $45 million facility for 1,000 workers. BJC teamed with Washington University in St. Louis, University of Missouri-St. Louis, Saint Louis University, and the Missouri Botanical Garden to create Cortex in 2002.
- here's the press release
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