UF Innovate and Trimark Properties Announce Affiliation Agreement for Lab Near UF Campus

Trimark Properties and UF Innovate have agreed to a partnership on a newly-renovated laboratory in the Innovation District, less than a mile from the University of Florida campus.

The 3,300-square-foot lab with private office space, named the 1140 Lab, was constructed by Trimark Properties and is located in Catalyst Park. As part of the affiliation agreement with UF Innovate, potential renters now have access to equipment such as autoclaves, chemical fume hoods, a ˗80° freezer, an upgraded HVAC system, and both DI and RO water filtration systems that are located at UF Innovate’s business incubator, The Hub

“Access to vital equipment necessary for experiments without the need to self-fund these financially burdensome tools is a major value add for any company,” said Trimark CEO John Fleming.

But access to equipment is not the only aspect of the agreement that adds value to the 1140 Lab. UF Innovate’s advisors, education workshops, symposiums and networking events are just some of the benefits provided by the partnership, Fleming said.

 “The value UF Innovate brings to any entrepreneurial company cannot be overstated,” he said.

Lab renters also will have access to the UF Library system, the most comprehensive library system in the state of Florida, as part of the agreement.

The 1140 building itself is designed to work as both a wet (chemical-centric) or dry (computer-centric) lab space and can provide for researchers, medical professionals or entrepreneurs who want to rent either the whole 1140 building or one of two 1,665 square foot suites.

As a developer, Trimark has worked on several projects around the Innovation District over the last few years. These projects, such as Ingenuity and the 417 Building, give Trimark insight on developing office space and are part of an overarching goal of bringing the entire Innovation District new life.

“Our vision, that of UF and Trimark, for the Innovation District area hasn’t changed from the original concept,” Fleming said. “What we did find, once the master plan was in place, was the need to aggressively work on actual infrastructure so prospective companies or entrepreneurs could recognize the tangible changes to the area.”

This common vision for the Innovation District made for a natural partnership between UF Innovate and Trimark, said Mark Long, Director of Incubation Services at UF.

“UF Innovate and Trimark have existed literally side by side for the past few years here in the Innovation District,” he said. “Taking that relationship to a partnership level was a natural progression to benefit everyone in Gainesville that is in entrepreneurship.”

Long said the affiliation agreement will help businesses in the 1140 Lab grow by allowing them access to potential funding opportunities and UF Innovate’s extensive support network, resources that a new business typically doesn’t have.

He also said partnerships such as the one between UF Innovate and Trimark are important in fostering an entrepreneurial support system in Gainesville.

“We look for potential partners that can enhance the ability of startup companies to move here, grow here and stay here,” he said. “And, Trimark is a really effective enhancement to our efforts to build an entrepreneurial community here in mid-Gainesville.”