Introducing: the Plant
The Plant will serve as a catalytic innovation center for our world-class ag, food, health, and tech industries and our universities and regional partners to accelerate innovations into wide commercialization while equitably addressing climate change, human health, and economic recovery.
The Plant: 3 Main Components
INCUBATION: Incubator facility and regional programs to support startup commercialization in Ag- Food-Tech and Biomanufacturing.
LABORATORY FACILITIES: Laboratory and manufacturing facilities to support specialized Ag-Food-Tech and Biomanufacturing research, development, commercialization, and scaling.
COLLABORATION: Industry-university collaboration, workforce development, and networking events.
Goals
Support solutions-based ("market-pull") innovation through entrepreneurship and corporate innovation programs.
Wet labs, controlled environment agriculture, kitchen lab, food processing, and biomanufacturing pilot plant.
Access and opportunities for entrepreneurs in underserved and underrepresented communities, with a particular emphasis on BIPOC (BIPOC) farmers, food producers, and the community.
Unite stakeholders across Silicon Valley and California's "food valleys" to support interdisciplinary innovation, commercialization, and entrepreneurship.
Support entrepreneurship and promote an attractive environment for corporate retention and relocation to the Central Valley.
The Plant: Layout & Facilities
2 stories, ~115,000 ft2
Footprint - 3-5 acres
Hub and Spoke design with central collaboration and meeting hub and separate areas for each discipline. Provides much needed resources in Sac Area. Single location—concentration of resources, expertise, and opportunities for collaboration and synergies. Physical location for The VINE and VINE partners to convene.
Facilities: Wet Laps & Greenhouses
Wet laboratory (BSL 2) with chemical hoods and attached offices. Five adjacent 3000 sq ft standard greenhouses with headhouses for ease of access.
Ideal for: chemistry; biology; microbiology; molecular biology; synthetic biology; genomics; breeding; new variety trials testing.
Facilities: Controlled Environment Agriculture
Three CEA high bay rooms, each with headhouse, sensor-based temperature and relative humidity controls, irrigation, water handling, and power for lighting and HVAC. A unique feature will be upper-level CEA walk-in incubators at ~100 ft2
Ideal for: bioponics, hydroponic, aeroponic and aquaponics; automation systems development and testing; new variety trials.
Facilities: Kitchen & Packaging Lab
Kitchen Lab
Packaging Lab
Ideal for: New ingredient and recipe development and scaling; new packaging materials prototyping; food safety technology testing.
Facilities: Biomanufacturing
Phase 1: Two parallel fermentation lines, one "industrial grade" bio-based products, one for "food grade" processing, 1000-liter each.
Phase 2: Upgrade to four 5,000-liter or 10,000-liter tanks.
Phase 3: Add a third fermentation line at "health grade" standard.
Ideal for: Pilot scale production of advanced materials, bioplastics, biomaterials, textiles, petrochemical replacements, alternative proteins, fermented foods.
Facilities: Business Incubator
The Business Incubator wing will have state-of-the-art amenities like private company offices, shared space with office equipment (copiers, printers, etc.), and conference rooms.
Ideal for: Startups in any of the fields supported at The Plant.
Facilities: Convening Space
Multi-purpose common space with lecture hall/large meeting room for tenants and the public. Common Area for tenants with break room, lounge, etc.
Ideal for: conferences, lectures, seminars, training, large group meetings, events, and community gatherings and public technology demonstrations; entrepreneurship education, mentoring, pitch competitions and investor events; the VINE activities; corporate innovation Programs sponsored events.
Why the Greater Sacramento Region?
Demand exceeds supply for wet lab, test kitchen, food processing, greenhouse, biomanufacturing, and advanced research collaboration space in the Sacramento and Central Valley region. The following proximities create a unique cluster of collaborative opportunities:
- UC Davis, the nation's top public university in ag and vet
- UC ANR headquarters - gateway to ANR resources
- State policymakers and regulators in Sacramento
- Central Valley producers and food processors
- Central Valley regional Ag-Food-Tech innovation hubs with global reach, such as Woodland, Fresno, etc.
- Bay Area/Silicon Valley, a diverse cluster of bio and technology industry leaders, financiers
- Land available for development
Business Model
Leadership Team
Contact Us
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