Illumina opens training center at the University of Maryland BioPark

Illumina’s first East Coast location is officially open in Baltimore.

On Tuesday, the San Diego-based genomics leader celebrated the grand opening of its new facility at the University of Maryland BioPark, the 14-acre research and technology park located to the west of downtown, and across Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. from the University of Maryland, Baltimore campus. The company announced its plans for the space over the summer.

Located in the BioPark building at 801 W. Baltimore St., the 13,000-square-foot Illumina Solutions Center will host trainings on the company’s technology. Illumina said it will host “hundreds” of customers and employees annually.

The office’s location across the street from the University of Maryland’s Institute of Genome Sciences was particularly attractive to the company, as the company was a collaborator with IGS and its director, Dr. Clare Fraser.

“We believe this location will facilitate collaborative engagement in research activities with our academic partner, University of Maryland, Baltimore,” said Mark Van Oene, Illumina senior VP and chief commercial officer, in a statement. “We are inspired by all the ways genomics can stimulate economic activity to maximize impact in the region and fuel research with the potential to improve health outcomes for patients.”

The opening adds a high profile to the BioPark, where more than 40 companies are currently operating. Looking ahead, BioPark real estate firm Wexford Science and Technologies is currently designing a new building along MLK Boulevard that will have more room for lab and office space over its 330,000 square feet.

L to R: Signe Pringle, Assistant Secretary, Maryland Department of Commerce, Jay A. Perman, MD, President, University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB), Nicki Berry Vice President, Americas Sales, Illumina, Jane Shaab Associate Vice President for Economic Development, UMB, and Eleezeh Safarians, Vice President, Americas Service and Support, Illumina. (Photo courtesy of Matthew D’Agostino/UMB)