Impact Stories

Launched in 2021, CYVAX is a small-scale, shared wet-lab environment located within the ISU Research Park that helps early-stage biotech companies move from bench science to real-world production. Funded by the state of Iowa and operated with strategic support from ISU and the Research Park, the program has already supported eight startups—five in animal health, others in human and plant sciences—and boasts a 100% continuation rate among participants.

Ames is gaining traction as a magnet for biotech startups, thanks in large part to the CYVAX initiative, a pilot-scale space housed in the Iowa State University Research Park that helps young vaccine and biotech companies scale production, train workforce, and accelerate time to market.

As Global Reach celebrates its 30th anniversary, the journey from a startup in the Park’s incubator to a provider of enterprise-level digital solutions for clients like the State of Iowa, Casey’s, Fareway, and even Homeland Security offers a case study in steady, sustainable tech growth in the Midwest.

Walk through the hallways of virtually any ISURP tenant and you’ll hear interns pitching patentable ideas, not doing to stereotypical newbie duties like brewing coffee.