Jim Hughes, Senior Vice President and Chief Enterprise and Economic Development Officer for the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB), unveils UMB Biopark’s new 4MLK Building (photo credit: University of Maryland, Baltimore)
New 250K Square Foot BioPark Building Underway to Provide Critical Lab Space in Baltimore
Doubling the University of Maryland BioPark’s lab space, the two-phase 4MLK development project will represent more than $320 million in total capital investment
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Known as 4MLK, this project has been in the works for more than seven years, so it was with great celebration and fan fair that the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) and Wexford Science & Technology, LLC unveiled the newest development project in the University of Maryland BioPark.
Slated for opening in 2024, 4MLK is Phase 1 of a two-phase project representing a $320 million total capital investment at the BioPark that will deliver 160,000 square feet of Class A wet lab-capable space. This new wet lab space will be available for commercial partners for custom build-out.
4MLK will include the following spaces:
- 160,000 square feet of Class A wet lab-capable space that will be available to commercial partners for build-out
- 40,000 square feet is planned for flexible lab and office suites, paired with full-service amenities such as shared lab equipment, weekly networking and educational programming, with flexible terms
- A 16,000-square-foot space for community gathering and events
- An adjacent public plaza and an activated streetscape with retail and food and beverage venues
- Phase II will add a second 250,000-square-foot lab/office building
Anticipation for the new building is high among many in the industry.
“We’re looking forward to this project to be up and running for us to be the first tenant in the new building,” shared Nikos Pavlidis, General Manager of Molecular Diagnostics & Women’s Health for BD, reinforcing the company’s commitment to Baltimore and the greater region. BD has a large campus in Hunt Valley, Maryland in addition to the brand new BD Innovation Center that just opened two weeks ago at the BioPark.
Perhaps the greatest success story out of Baltimore and the UM BioPark is that of Paragon Biosolutions, founded by Marco Chacon. Chacon shared his story about how he moved Paragon to the BioPark in 2009 with 31 employees. With the support of the University and greater regional community, he and his team were able to grow the company to 180 employees by 2019 before being acquired by Catalent Pharma for $1.2B. Catalent has expanded the operation to 1,800 employees across Maryland with many of these team members located in the greater Baltimore area.
Securing additional anchor companies such as BD and Catalent, who call Baltimore home, is considered to be a critical success factor for Baltimore to grow its Bio industry and capitalize on the innovation ecosystem that exists here. Historical commercial lab space scarcity has led to several startup companies relocating to Montgomery County, Maryland, such as Vaccitech, or moving outside of the state altogether. With two leading research universities, UMB and Johns Hopkins University, that produce dozens of new biomedical startups every year, the city is in desperate need for the available commercial space to retain those companies and also provide room for them to grow.
4MLK will also deliver 40,000 square feet of flexible lab, office, and lab support facilities specifically designed to meet the rigorous needs of growing life science companies. In addition to the lab spaces, tenets will have access to full-service amenities such as shared lab equipment, weekly networking, educational programming and flexible terms.
“4MLK is the result of our strong, long-term partnership with UMB and critical focus on providing much needed world-class research space to private industry. Its advancement underscores the unique opportunity for life sciences companies looking to launch or expand in Baltimore,” said Jim Berens, Founder and Chairman of Wexford Science & Technology.
“For UMB, 4MLK is more than a building—it is a symbol of our continued growth and dedication to advancing life sciences and driving economic investment in Baltimore,” commented Bruce Jarrell, MD, FACS, and President of UMB.
A full list of confirmed tenants have not been provided yet but Pavlidis indicated that BD will be one of them. It was previously reported that UMB’s entrepreneurial staff and the Maryland Momentum Fund will also occupy space in 4MLK.
We will continue to follow this story and provide updates as tenants and other developments are announced.
Follow BioBuzz for future 4MLK updates and the UM BioPark, as well as other life sciences real estate development news from across Maryland and Philadelphia.
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Over the past 11 years, Chris has grown BioBuzz into a respected brand that is recognized for its community building, networking events and news stories about the local biotech industry. In addition, he runs a Recruiting and Marketing Agency that helps companies attract top talent through a blended model that combines employer branding and marketing services together with a high powered recruiting solution.
