The University of Akron’s polymer science and engineering department consistently ranks among the top three in the nation, and city officials hope it will do for Akron what Cleveland Clinic does for Cleveland. Last week Mayor Don Plusquellic announced a new biomedical start-up incubator with an eye toward attracting medical device hopefuls from around the world.
It’s an extension of the Austen BioInnovation Institute, which has been nurturing the ideas of local students and doctors for the past 16 months, says its president and CEO, Frank Douglas.
But why would medical device start-ups peg Akron rather than Cleveland? Collaboration with the university’s polymer expertise, says Douglas. Plus, the Akron incubator will focus only on orthopedic and wound-healing devices.
This article appears in Mar 23-29, 2011.
