Montana Innovation Corridor Gateway
Building the Next Generation of Bioscience and Technology Companies in Montana
Mission
Create a dynamic innovation community that supports the growth of breakthrough companies—from early-stage startups to global industry leaders—while strengthening Montana’s role in the national innovation economy.
Primary Objectives
Build an iconic gateway to Missoula and the Montana Innovation Corridor.
Deliver Class A bioscience and technology infrastructure designed for growing companies in biotechnology, advanced materials, and emerging technologies.
Create a catalytic culture for commercialization and growth by co-locating entrepreneurs, researchers, investors, and industry partners.
Achieve long-term sustainability through a public-private partnership model that leverages public investment to attract private capital and industry participation.
Phase One: Innovation Corridor Gateway Building
MonTEC is advancing Phase One of the Innovation Corridor Gateway, a next-generation innovation facility located along the Clark Fork River at the eastern gateway to downtown Missoula.
The planned multi-story, approximately 80,000-square-foot facility will provide flexible laboratory, biomanufacturing, and office space designed to support the full lifecycle of technology companies—from research and prototype development to early-stage commercialization.
A central feature of Phase One will be GMP-ready biomanufacturing space designed to support small-batch pharmaceutical and biologics production. The facility will provide modular laboratory environments capable of supporting BSL-2 compliant manufacturing operations, allowing companies to transition from discovery and pilot production into regulated manufacturing without leaving the region.
Right (gray) side is 10,000 sq ft GMP ready facility.
This capability is particularly important for early-stage biopharmaceutical firms seeking to commercialize new therapies, vaccines, adjuvants, and biologics. By offering flexible GMP-ready space, the Innovation Corridor will help bridge the critical gap between university research and commercial production—an area where the United States currently faces significant capacity constraints.
The facility is also designed to position Montana to capitalize on emerging state and national initiatives aimed at strengthening domestic biotechnology manufacturing capacity. At the state level, Montana’s SB535 bioscience initiative is helping accelerate the growth of the bioscience sector and expand research and commercialization infrastructure. At the national level, policymakers are increasingly prioritizing secure domestic biomanufacturing capacity and resilient pharmaceutical supply chains, creating new opportunities for regions that can provide flexible GMP-ready infrastructure for emerging companies.
By providing accessible, right-sized GMP infrastructure for scaling companies, the Innovation Corridor will help ensure that innovations developed in American laboratories can be manufactured domestically, supporting national economic security, supply chain resilience, and global competitiveness.
A Catalyst for Commercialization
The Innovation Corridor Gateway will integrate:
• Class A wet lab and bioscience space
• Modular GMP-ready biomanufacturing suites
• Technology incubator and accelerator space
• Flexible office and collaboration environments
• Industry partnership and pilot deployment areas
Together, these elements will create a commercialization pipeline for emerging technologies, enabling companies to grow from concept to production within a single integrated ecosystem.
Background
In 2020, MonTEC commissioned a feasibility study to guide the development of the Montana Innovation Corridor Gateway.
The targeted site encompasses 4+/- acres of underutilized property on the banks of the Clark Fork River, just north of the main University of Montana campus along East Broadway.
The location is uniquely positioned within Missoula’s innovation district due to its proximity to:
The University of Montana research campus
Missoula College (two-year college specializing in workforce training)
MonTEC’s existing technology incubator, currently at capacity
Downtown Missoula
Interstate-90 transportation access
The Clark Fork River and regional trail system
Together, these assets create an ideal environment for a high-density, mixed-use innovation district that integrates laboratory, office, incubator, and collaboration spaces with complementary uses that support entrepreneurs, researchers, and industry partners.
Learn more about pre-design concepts for the Innovation Corridor Gateway Project.
Contact Us
This project is currently advancing through planning and design and is well positioned to leverage catalytic public investment alongside private sector participation to bring critical bioscience and innovation infrastructure online.
Organizations interested in partnership opportunities, tenancy, investment, or learning more about the Innovation Corridor Gateway project are encouraged to contact MonTEC Director of Operations, Brigitta Miranda-Freer M: 406.544.0127.
MonTEC – Montana Technology Enterprise Center
1121 East Broadway
Missoula, Montana