Bayer Awards $1.5 Million Grant To BioSTL To Support Organization's Headquarters And Program Expansion In St. Louis' Emerging Technology District

ST. LOUIS, Aug. 6, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Bayer has awarded BioSTL, a St. Louis-based non-profit which advances and promotes the region's growing bioscience, innovation and technology community, a $1.5 million grant to support its new headquarters.

BioSTL is located in St. Louis' Cortex Innovation Community. Funds from the grant will help the organization develop new office and lab space as well as expand its comprehensive range of business development programs which includes:

• BioGenerator, an evergreen investor that creates, grows, and funds innovative companies and talented entrepreneurs in the St. Louis region,
• BioGenerator Labs, which provides scientific start-ups with lab space and equipment, as well as flexible office space, to advance their companies, and
• GlobalSTL, an initiative that attracts high-growth international companies to St. Louis by delivering local partners to drive business growth in North America from a new St. Louis base.

Additionally, BioSTL will operate its inclusion, policy, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) education and workforce development activities from the new site.    

"St. Louis may be known as the Gateway to the West, but it is also being recognized as a welcoming community for new start-ups and established organizations that are committed to science, technology and innovation," said Al Mitchell, Bayer's Vice President of Corporate Engagement. "Bayer welcomes the opportunity to partner and support non-profits such as BioSTL whose work is having a positive impact on the St. Louis metropolitan region."

As part of the grant agreement, BioSTL will name its new glass-walled conference room, the Bayer Board Room. The room, which overlooks the BioGenerator Labs space, will serve as a signature meeting area for BioSTL's executive leadership team, invited guests and community groups.

"Continuation of BioSTL's partnership with Bayer aligns the pharmaceutical and agricultural strengths of this global powerhouse with the growing reputation of St. Louis as a center for innovation and bioscience startup excellence," said Donn Rubin, President & CEO of BioSTL. "This support for the new BioSTL Building, and the BioSTL programs calling it home, will accelerate the engine of bioscience startup activity that is creating a new economy for the St. Louis region."

About BioSTL

Since 2001, BioSTL has laid the foundation for St. Louis' innovation economy with a comprehensive set of transformational programs that advance St. Louis' leadership in solving important world challenges in agriculture, medicine, health care and other technology areas. BioSTL has introduced nationally-acclaimed initiatives in start-up creation and investment (BioGenerator), strategic business attraction (GlobalSTL), physical environment (including the Cortex Innovation District and BioGenerator Labs), entrepreneur support (BioSTL Fundamentals), seed and venture capital, a diverse and inclusive workforce, and public policy. Find us online at biostl.org and follow us on twitter @BioSTL.

About Bayer

Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the Life Science fields of health care and agriculture. Its products and services are designed to benefit people by supporting efforts to overcome the major challenges presented by a growing and aging global population. At the same time, the Group aims to increase its earning power and create value through innovation and growth. Bayer is committed to the principles of sustainable development, and the Bayer brand stands for trust, reliability and quality throughout the world. In fiscal 2018, the Group employed around 117,800 people and had sales of 39.6 billion euros. Capital expenditures amounted to 2.6 billion euros, R&D expenses to 5.2 billion euros. For more information, go to www.bayer.us.

SOURCE Bayer