The Michigan State University Bioeconomy Institute

In 2005, the Pfizer Corporation made a decision to close their Holland, Michigan pharmaceutical research, development, and manufacturing facilities. The collaborative efforts of the Lakeshore Advantage organization (Zeeland, MI), Michigan State University, various governmental units and local private supporters secured an opportunity for the modern, 138,000 square foot R&D facility to be donated to MSU and subsequently commissioned as the MSU Bioeconomy Institute   - View Virtual Tour. The goal is to become a world-class biomass research and development center that will help to position Michigan as a global leader in the advancement of the bioeconomy. It will accomplish this, in part, through its operation as a multi-functional, multi-disciplinary institution that serves various advanced research, education, product commercialization, and economic development objectives.

As a major bioeconomy research center and research services provider, the Bioeconomy Institute and all of its operations will be closely coupled to the entirety of MSU. MSU has earned a high degree of academic distinction and level of influence that is international in scope, particularly in several areas of agriscience research. Participants in Lakeshore Advantage's BioBusiness Accelerator program will benefit from MSU's resources and reputation, and also as a result of developing their businesses under guidelines and practices, established by MSU - setting industry standards for safety, quality, and performance. Affiliation with, and access to, the resources of MSU cannot be overemphasized as a benefit to participating companies. The Accelerator staff will play an important role in assisting resident companies in navigating the vast resources of the University.  

The former Pfizer pharmaceutical plant (2004)