Cal State L.A. has received a $3.5 million county grant to fund a new educational laboratory providing students and start-up businesses with the opportunity to collaborate on bioscience projects, it was announced Thursday.
BioSpace L.A. will feature up to 20,000 square feet dedicated to bioscience research and collaboration.
“Cal State L.A. has a long history of educating minority undergraduate and master’s students who go on to earn Ph.D.s at top research universities across the country,” said Supervisor Gloria Molina, who led the effort to secure the grant from the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.
“This diverse group of graduates reflects the makeup of the Eastside, and what better way to retain these talented students than to provide them high quality jobs and entrepreneurship opportunities so that they can continue to live and invest in this community,” she said.
Bioscience deals with the structure and behavior of living organisms. The bioscience industry includes major areas such as agriculture, drugs and pharmaceuticals, medical devices and instruments, hospitals and laboratories, and research and testing.
As other industries shed jobs during the recession, the county’s bioscience industry continued to grow, Molina said.
“When the university is a hub for applied research and scholarship that produces new solutions, the local community, the region, and students can thrive,” said Cal State L.A. President William A. Covino.
— City News Service