Columbus — Ohio State University leaders broke ground Oct. 20 on the Timashev Technology Tower, an eight‑story, 103,000‑square‑foot building designed to house shared laboratory space, flexible offices and coworking facilities aimed at accelerating technology and life‑sciences startups in the Columbus Innovation District.
Purpose and partners
The tower will be positioned to bring early‑stage companies into closer proximity with university researchers, students and corporate partners, creating a physical bridge between campus innovation and commercialization. The project will also provide a dedicated home for ventures spun out of BuildX, Ohio State’s student startup program.
JobsOhio has pledged to provide a low‑interest loan in support of the tower as part of its broader $100 million commitment to the Columbus Innovation District, though the agency did not disclose the specific loan amount.
Facilities and cost‑saving intent
A central feature will be a shared wet lab curated and managed by Ohio State. JobsOhio and university officials said the arrangement is intended to lower the barrier to entry for bioscience and technology teams by allowing them to access laboratory benches, equipment and meeting space rapidly, without the expense of building their own facilities.
- Size: 103,000 square feet
- Height: Eight stories
- Key features: Shared wet lab, flexible coworking, dedicated office suites, BuildX venture space
- Support: JobsOhio low‑interest loan; Timashev Family Foundation gift
Ohio State graduate and entrepreneur Ratmir Timashev and his wife, Angela, made a philanthropic gift through the Timashev Family Foundation to support the tower and the Center for Software Innovation’s programming, university officials said.
“It will be a mix of startups, large companies,
The remark above was offered by Ohio State President Ravi V. Bellamkonda during the ceremonial event. University spokespeople said the tower’s tenant mix is intended to foster interaction between student founders, researchers and established corporate partners to help move ideas toward commercial application.
How the tower fits into the district
The Timashev Technology Tower is the latest addition to the Columbus Innovation District, an area that university and state leaders have been cultivating to spur technology, life‑sciences and advanced‑manufacturing activity around campus. Officials contend that co‑locating lab space, startup services and corporate partners will accelerate commercialization and create new workforce opportunities for students and graduates.
Leaders emphasized the practical benefit of shared laboratory infrastructure for early‑stage teams. Rather than raising millions to build their own testing facilities, startups will be able to rent bench space and equipment as needed, smoothing the transition from prototype to product.
Local impact and next steps
Officials did not release a construction timeline or total project cost at the groundbreaking. JobsOhio’s contribution was described as a significant low‑interest loan but no dollar figure was included in the announcement.
University and economic development leaders say the tower will support job creation in Columbus and help retain graduates drawn to Ohio State’s research and entrepreneurship ecosystem. The building is also slated to house programming from the Center for Software Innovation, which is tied to undergraduate and graduate education in computing and software entrepreneurship.
As the Innovation District expands, planners are weighing long‑term questions about how to balance classroom and research needs, private sector tenancy and affordable access for student entrepreneurs. The Timashev Tower is framed by leaders as an experiment in bundling those elements in the same facility to reduce startup costs and speed commercialization.
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Stories | 8 |
| Area | 103,000 sq ft |
| Primary uses | Shared wet lab, coworking, offices, BuildX space |
| Key supporters | JobsOhio, Timashev Family Foundation |
The university says the building will be a resource for student founders and a locus for partnerships with established companies, with officials projecting that easier access to lab infrastructure could shorten the time and lower the cost needed to validate new technologies.
Construction is now underway following the ground‑breaking ceremony. University representatives and JobsOhio declined to provide an estimated completion date at the time of the announcement.
Damon Carver, State Correspondent
