This project has supported a myriad of enhancements related to the County's life sciences and entrepreneurial climate. This project originally provided funds to design and construct the public amenities at the Shady Grove Life Sciences Center. The project has supported the development and land use plans for the Germantown Life Sciences Park (GLSP) and the Site II development. Additionally, the project has supported the development of the Germantown and Rockville business incubators and upgrades to the Silver Spring Incubator. Specific tasks included feasibility studies, due diligence, refining Programs of Requirements (PORs), design and construction. Additions to the original project scope included: revised development and subdivision plans to increase site density (FY00); subdivision plans for prospective Life Sciences and Technology Centers (FY03); planning for the Rockville Incubator (FY07); and the pursuit of all needed steps for Site II to be accepted into the Maryland Voluntary Clean-Up Program (FY11). This project may also be used for incubator renovations, the preliminary development of other incubators, tech parks, or other economic development capital projects should future new opportunities become available. In FY22, funds are provided for the conversion of excess office space into wet labs in the lab corridor of the Germantown Incubator. In FY25, the project added funds to support the continued conversion of vacant offices at the Germantown center into wet labs, including the partitioning of labs into bench space. This funding also supports the refresh of the co-working space at the Rockville center, and the branding and technology improvements of the centers.

Work is expected to begin in the latter half of FY25.

Costs increase to convert additional office space at the Germantown Center into wet labs and to provide interior and technology improvements to the Rockville, Silver Spring, and Germantown centers.

For the past five years the Germantown Incubator has had excess office space and insufficient wet lab space to meet the demand of small life science companies. The labs are routinely at 100 percent occupancy while the office space is routinely 28-44 percent vacant. Generally each lab company also occupies office space. By increasing the number of available wet labs the incubator can serve more emerging life science companies by providing both lab and office space, thereby reducing the current office space vacancy. Improving the County's facilities will maximize potential use of space, including innovation, collaboration spaces, shared labs with bench rentals and shared equipment, etc. to transition the facilities to experienced globally recognized innovation ecosystem activators incorporating expanded programming and technical assistance.

The original component of the CIP project, the construction of all required amenities and improvements to meet M-NCPPC's subdivision requirement for the SGLSC property, is complete. The Rockville Innovation Center and the Germantown Innovation Center have been open for business. Site II was accepted into the Maryland Voluntary Clean-Up Program and has been conveyed to Percontee. The Silver Spring Innovation Center has been renovated.

The project assumes receipt of $1,000,000 in State Aid through the Build Our Future Grant Pilot Program.

The County Executive asserts that this project conforms to the requirement of relevant local plans, as required by the Maryland Economic Growth, Resource Protection and Planning Act.

State of Maryland, TEDCO, Maryland Department of Public Works and Transportation - Division of Capital Development, the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation, and tenants of the Germantown Innovation Center. Facility Planning: Montgomery County Government, Montgomery College, WSSC Water, and private developers.