Philly Leader

On May 3, Gov. Tom Wolf met with state Senator Vincent Hughes (D-Montgomery/Philadelphia), legislators and educators at Cheyney University to announce a $5 million investment through the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP) that creates a ThinkUbator for biotech research on campus.

The ThinkUbator will offer biologics, cell and gene therapy companies the chance to lease process development and wet lab space at the university campus, a press release from the governor’s office said this week. The investment will be used make renovations to the Duckrey building, including HVAC, plumbing and windows, improved interior space with bench space, wet labs, a training facility, and dry and cold storage; as well as the purchase and installation of special equipment.

“As America’s first historically black university, Cheyney has a long history of supporting determined, innovative students and putting them on the path to a brighter future,” Wolf said in the release. “The ThinkUbator is helping to bring the life sciences community to Cheyney’s campus, through partnerships that will advance groundbreaking research while also helping to train a new generation of life science leaders and innovators.”

Hughes, who is a trustee at Cheyney University, noted that the investment is huge in the university’s resurgence.

“This groundbreaking institution is poised to create a future that’s worthy of its storied history,” he said in the release. “The work is hard but it’s worth it.”

The ThinkUbator was described in the release as a “historic initiative” that serves a region with record-low vacancies for lab space. It is part of the university’s effort to serve diverse and underrepresented students who look toward a career in life sciences.

Cheyney University currently has approximately 650 students enrolled, the release said. University President Aaron A. Walton commented that making the university a bioscience center for the region should help attract more students to the school. The university also plans to recruit area businesses as the renovations and construction move forward.

“The companies already operating on our campus working with our student interns provided proof that our concept works for all parties, the university, the students and the businesses,” Walton said in the release. “The businesses we have brought onto our campus and into our lab space have a real interest in being here. This grant from the Wolf Administration gives us a major spark to continue to expand on that model in a more robust way.”

State Rep. Dianne Herrin had high praise for Cheyney University and the ThinkUbator project, noting that the investment will help students become leaders in the scientific field.

“As America’s first institution of higher education for African Americans, Cheyney University has long had an innovative spirit driving the students, faculty and staff in their pursuit of quality higher education,” she said in the release. “Today, Cheyney’s leadership has reimagined this campus and established a modern path to success that will benefit students and our local economy. This substantial investment in Cheyney’s infrastructure will help empower students to become visionary leaders within our community, our country, and around the world.”

Over the past two years, $12.5 million is RACP funds has been awarded to projects at Cheyney University. $1 million went toward bringing Advanced Alchemy Labs, a hemp extraction and processing organization, to the campus. Another $3.5 million went to the Wade Wilson Building, and $3 million was used to bring 3D printing company American Additive to the university.