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Everything that a bio-entrepreneur needs, all in one location.
There has never been a shortage of entrepreneurs with great ideas designed to tackle the most pressing global challenges — from human health to environmental sustainability.
To grow those ideas into successful ventures, entrepreneurs need space, equipment, and multiple connections to a vibrant ecosystem. That’s why we created Bakar Bio Labs at UC Berkeley. Bakar Bio Labs is built to be the foundational hub for resources where startups thrive.
New Impact Grant recipients aim to translate their research into real world solutions
Launched in 2023, our BioEnginuity Impact Grant helps STEM doctoral students aim their research toward the greater social good. The grant offers students the flexibility to reimagine their research in interdisciplinary directions, commercialize their technology, or pursue industry partnerships, all with the goal of solving the world’s most pressing problems. Awardees are also supported by extracurricular offerings, including workshops, networking, and mentoring opportunities. Our fourth cohort of fellows has demonstrated a clear commitment to tackling global challenges through collaborative research. Read post
FutureBio co-founders publish Nature Biotechnology paper on enzymes engineered to produce recyclable plastics
CEO Zilong Wang and CSO Seokjung Cheong are lead authors of a paper demonstrating how biology can help systematically expand the molecular design space for advanced, recyclable materials. Read post
Spraying Fungicide to Protect the Crop in Minnesota
Root Applied Sciences has set up spore capture devices across the southern tier of Minnesota. The company developed its approach while pioneering detection and treatment for diseases that affect grapevines at vineyards. To protect their valuable produce, winemakers were spraying numerous times across a growing season. Root Applied Sciences developed a way of detecting and modeling infection that allowed those growers to cut their application in half. Read post
Berkeley makes its startup pitch
The Berkeley Innovation Zone on the west side of UC Berkeley — between campus and downtown — showcases how the City of Berkeley is working with the university to welcome and support entrepreneurs, in a cultural change that could ultimately bring in more revenue. BIZ includes two incubators currently under construction: IGI-Bakar Labs and Bakar Labs for Energy & Materials. Read post
Turner Celebrates Groundbreaking of the Innovative Genomics Institute – Bakar Labs Building
Turner Construction Company joined the University of California, Berkeley, the Innovative Genomics Institute (IGI), Bakar Labs, project partners, researchers, and community leaders to celebrate the groundbreaking of the Innovative Genomics Institute – Bakar Labs building, marking a major milestone for one of the most transformative life sciences developments in the Bay Area. The groundbreaking represents the culmination of years of vision, planning, and collaboration among UC Berkeley, the Innovative Genomics Institute, Bakar Labs, philanthropic supporters, architects Weiss/Manfredi and DGA, engineers, consultants, and construction partners working toward a shared goal: creating a world-class hub where scientific discovery, entrepreneurship, and innovation can thrive together. The project will become a cornerstone of Berkeley’s Innovation Zone and further strengthen the city’s position as a global leader in biotechnology and climate-focused research. Read post
Genentech-adjacent Japanese drugmaker sets up Peninsula office, looks for deals
Even if you’ve never heard of Chugai Pharmaceutical, you may have heard of some of the drugs that started there: the inflammation and autoimmune disease-fighting drug Actemra and the hemophilia drug Hemlibra, for example. Or you may recall some of its partnerships, like a pact earlier this month with age-related disease company Gero or a partnership with Eli Lilly and Co. around oral GLP-1 weight-loss drug Foundayo. Now the Japanese drugmaker — related to Swiss drugmaker Roche and its Genentech Inc. unit — is prepping for more deals and more visibility. It is setting up a U.S. partnering beachhead in South San Francisco, a three-person office focused on connecting its antibody engineering and small-molecule expertise with life sciences innovators in academia and early-stage companies. Chugai recently became an industry affiliate of Bakar Bio Labs. Read post
Groundbreaking for the IGI – Bakar Labs Building Marks the Start of New Era of Genomic Innovation at UC Berkeley
Groundbreaking on IGI-Bakar Labs building heralds innovation and collaboration between two of UC Berkeley’s premier champions of research. Read post 
The New Billionaire Bet Isn’t AI — It’s Longevity Biotech
FORBES — As investment pours into longevity breakthroughs, HexemBio is taking a unique approach to the problem — tackling deterioration in the blood and immune system as the root causes of age-related deterioration. Read postOur affiliates
Ready to run?
Startups need to focus on making milestones, not managing equipment.
Bakar Bio Labs maintains tissue culture facilities, a freezer farm, fume hoods, basic benchtop equipment and plenty of analytical instruments. Optional lab support services can also make for quick starts that help get results fast.
At UC Berkeley
Bakar Bio Labs is just steps from UC Berkeley’s world-renowned faculty and more than 40,000 students who train in top programs including science, engineering, law and business. Dotting the campus is a network of core facilities that feature a wide range of advanced equipment and services for use by startups. Recruiting student talent and scientific co-founders couldn’t be easier.
Today’s best startups blaze a trail all their own, but they don’t do it alone.
They build their support network to help them navigate the multiple challenges they face. At Bakar Bio Labs, tenants join a community of as many as 50 like-minded teams willing to share the scientific and business insights that help them advance. The incubator spans more than 40,000 square feet of lab and office spaces within the fully renovated Woo Hon Fai Hall, the iconic former home of the Berkeley Art Museum. With so much going on, investors, industry partners and new talent are already taking notice.
Built for startups. For more than 20 years, QB3 has been the University of California’s center for innovation and entrepreneurship in life science. Through pitch summits, seminars, symposia, podcasts, office hours, internships, and workshops QB3 educates, connects, and elevates the entrepreneurial ecosystem.
