Innovation Center invites the world to online expo

When your name has innovation in it -- as the Southwest Michigan Innovation Center does -- it only makes sense that you would would look for an innovative way to celebrate your 10th birthday and attract the attention of the life science world all at the same time.

SMIC, as it is known, recently did that with the launch of Leading Life Sciences: A Virtual Visit, an online invitation inside the life science incubator and accelerator, modeled after a visit to a trade show, complete with virtual expo halls and booths for 22 different companies or organizations.

Visitors to the online expo -- it took place Oct. 9 and can still be visited -- get a good look at the life science activities in Southwest Michigan and the depth and breadth of the experience of the scientific community in the region through video and other presentations that highlight the scientific advancements that have come out of SMIC and its client companies. 

The day of the virtual expo there also was the chance to chat live with representatives of participating companies. Visitors could get contact information to be used in follow-up meetings or renew acquaintances with those they have met at previous events, as the record of the chat shows.

SMIC, a 69,000-square-foot business, opened its doors in 2003 and is located in Western Michigan University’s Business Technology and Research Park.

Formed to capitalize on the number of scientists remaining in the area who formerly worked for The Upjohn Co. and the pharmaceutical companies that followed -- Pharmacia Co. and Pfizer Inc. -- the incubator and accelerator, SMIC, provides support and assistance to nurture the businesses of life science entrepreneurs, providing them with the sophisticated instruments, laboratory space, and other services they need to grow.

The idea for the virtual expo emerged as SMIC's 10th anniversary approached and a team came together to talk about different ways to attract new companies and attention to the life science activities in Southwest Michigan.

"This appealed to me a lot," says Robert DeWit, Ph.D., chief executive officer of SMIC. "It's the perfect tool for scientists who don't do a great deal of travel. They can get the information they need in great detail without ever leaving their office, using the tool with which they are extremely comfortable, the computer."

To generate interest in the virtual visit DeWit and others did a lot of work getting the word out to those they hoped would take the online tour. DeWit says he sent out more than 1,000 emails, contacted relevant LinkedIn groups and asked everyone who got an invitation to the online expo to pass it on to someone else they thought might be interested. Overall, DeWit estimates he reached out to about 100,000 people.

Invitations went to England, Switzerland, Italy, France, Japan and India, an acknowledgement of the global nature of life sciences businesses.

"The life sciences have always been global in nature," DeWit says, pointing to the work that arises out of scientific literature shared internationally. Two local companies -- Kalexyn and MPI -- who do a great deal of business across the globe immediately liked the idea of the virtual visit, which reinforced the notion that the plan for the virutual tour was solid.

The idea also was appealing as it would help generate contacts to those interested in finding out more about the Southwest Michigan Innovation Center. DeWit sees it as a good way to identify those to whom the Innovation Center should be reaching out.

The alternative could be visits to other areas in the country where life science work is being done -- Cambridge, Mass., San Francisco, or San Diego -- and hope to connect with those who might be interested in the work being done in Southwest Michigan.

DeWit says if the virtual expo works as anticipated they will have targeted those who are interested in more information, making a "shrimp and beer" visit to them worthwhile and more financially responsible than a visit based on less information.

One ultimate goal is to attract enough interest that it would help generate a waiting list of those who want space in the Southwest Michigan Innovation Center. Currently the lab space is 80 percent full; the office space is 95 percent full.

"It would be fantastic to develop a waiting list," DeWit says. The day that happens is not hard to imagine.

DeWit says he was at a recent event for Shifting Gears, a career-transition program for seasoned mid- and late-career professional talent in Michigan, when he heard Merck had just announced the layoff of 8,500 employees, primarily in research and development.

As big pharma continues to shed its research and development operations, leaving that work to smaller companies, the need for the kinds of services provided by an incubator and accelerator like SMIC grows.

Additionally, the life sciences talent that can be found in Southwest Michigan is not only experienced but there is a trust that already exists between those who have worked together and know one another's strengths here that helps businesses succeed here.

The virtual visit is not an event that DeWit and his team expect to go viral. "We're reaching out to a very small percentage of American population," he says. Though he does expect that once the life science community sees the possibilities of the online visit others will adopt it. 

And the next time such an expo is offered, DeWit expects it will feature life sciences across Michigan and a bigger picture of what is possible in the state.

"Southwest Michigan has a unique mix of experience and talent that makes it one of the most successful regions for life sciences investment in the country," DeWit says. "We’re eager to tell that story to the world."

Who has a booth?

The 22 organizations included in the virtual visit are: Western Michigan University and the Bioscience Research & Commercialization Center, Armune Bioscience Inc., BBC Entrepreneurial Training & Consulting, Genemarkers LLC, Jasper Clinical Research & Development, Kalexsyn Inc., Launch MI Lab, MPI Research, Metabolic Solutions Development Co., Micromyx, Michigan Small Business & Technology Development Center, Open Prairie Ventures, Ophthy-DS, PharmOptima LLC, Proteos Inc., Single Source Procurement, Sunapten Therapeutics Inc., Velesco Pharmaceutical Services, Vestaron Corp., West Labs Scientific and SMIC. 

The Virtual Visit event was largely funded by the Michigan Economic Development Corp. 

Kathy Jennings is the Managing Editor of Southwest Michigan's Second Wave. She is a freelance writer and editor. She scored sixth place in the trivia challenge on the Virtual Visit site.