2007 The Year in Business, No. 9: Research companies, federal dollars flock to JVIC

After JVIC’s May 30 grand opening, during which officials added Congressman Blunt’s name in recognition of his work to net federal funding, about 60 scientists and researchers began reporting to work at the seven-story former MFA milling facility at 524 Boonville Ave.

A least 200 more jobs are on the way, JVIC officials say, to continue material science, biotechnology and nanotechnology research and development.

JVIC research by corporate partners and Missouri State University is aiding development of such things as circuits for space and strategic weapons that can survive a nuclear attack or solar flare, protective suits to detect and protect against chemical and biological warfare, technology to reset software in satellites that have been affected by solar radiation, and medical material for cornea replacements.

JVIC houses MSU’s Center for Applied Science and Engineering and Center for Biological and Life Sciences, as well as seven corporate partners – Applied Systems Intelligence, Brewer Science, Crosslink, Nantero, St. John’s Health System, Foster-Miller and Unidym.

“All of these companies are dedicated to developing new technologies and are actively hiring new scientists, engineers and technicians from the greater Springfield area to work in this facility,” said JVIC Executive Director Ryan Giedd in an October news release. “We have several new projects beginning.”

The upside to the research, which Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce President Jim Anderson calls Springfield’s “gateway to advanced manufacturing,” is in product development.

“(As) for-profit companies … we have to get products out of this,” said Don Landy, Crosslink’s vice president of government relations and operations, in August. “It’s a pretty amazing thing when the university, the chamber of commerce, the business community and other companies from outside the area seemingly can work together in a pretty friendly environment. (It) does foster that ability to reach those goals of ‘labs-to-jobs’ and commercialization and all the things you look for with economic development.”

At the time, Crosslink only had about 10 employees in Springfield, but each was paid about $80,000 a year.

Phase II work that began in June – covering exterior improvements on the three-story building north of the main tower – should wrap in January, according to Jim Baker, vice president of research and economic development at MSU. Phase III construction – focusing on the inside of the three-story building and some demolition work – should be finished by the end of 2008, he said.

Officials broke ground on JVIC’s $12.4 million Phase I in November 2005. That funding was secured by Blunt, and more is on the way. In November, the U.S. House of Representatives approved more than $15 million in the 2008 Defense Appropriations Bill for JVIC projects.