The Ohio State University broke ground on Oct. 20, 2026, on the Timashev Technology Tower, an eight-story, 103,000-square-foot development designed to house technology and life sciences startups alongside corporate partners, university researchers, and students, ohiotechnews.com reported.
The project expands the Columbus Innovation District with shared laboratory facilities, flexible coworking space, and dedicated offices. It also serves as a home for ventures emerging from BuildX, an initiative guiding student founders through company creation. JobsOhio plans to supply a low-interest loan for the project as part of its $100 million commitment to the district, though the agency did not disclose the proposed loan amount in its announcement.
Shared Wet Labs Lower Barriers for Early-Stage Startups
A central feature of the tower is a shared wet lab curated and managed by Ohio State. Early-stage teams gain access to laboratory benches, equipment, and meeting spaces within days, bypassing the multi-million-dollar capital requirements typically needed to build independent testing facilities. This setup intends to accelerate the commercialization of university research while pairing emerging ventures with experienced talent.
“The Timashev Technology Tower will give startups and established companies a place to grow alongside one of the nation’s leading medical and research universities, adding to the momentum that makes Ohio a top destination for life sciences and technology investment,” JobsOhio President and CEO J.P. Nauseef noted in materials released by JobsOhio.
Ohio State President Ravi V. Bellamkonda emphasized the collaborative design during the groundbreaking ceremony. “It will be a mix of startups, large companies, the Center for Software Innovation, students, researchers and employees intermingling,” Bellamkonda said, according to the JobsOhio press release. “An incredible vision of creating collisions for innovation of all different kinds.”
Philanthropic Backing From Alumni Entrepreneurs
The development is supported by a gift from Ohio State graduate and software entrepreneur Ratmir Timashev and his wife, Angela, through the Timashev Family Foundation. Their contribution aids both the physical construction of the tower and educational programming for the Center for Software Innovation.
Ohio State breaks ground on new Timashev Technology Tower for startups https://t.co/S1R9OS5Db7
“We want to create something special for our students so that they are prepared for this fast-changing world of AI and innovation and life sciences,” Ratmir Timashev stated. “This is how I give back to them.” He added that the shared ambition is for Columbus and central Ohio to emerge as a technology hub matching the scale of Silicon Valley.
Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel connected the new initiative to the institution’s historical momentum. “One thing we talked constantly about, as we represented the university, was that with tradition comes the responsibility to make it even greater, and that’s what we have in mind with this building,” Tressel said, as documented by JobsOhio.
Expanding the Columbus Innovation District Footprint
The Timashev Technology Tower joins a cluster within the Columbus Innovation District, which also houses the Energy Advancement and Innovation Center and the Pelotonia Research Center. Clean-energy company Koloma, industry group Ohio Life Sciences, and cancer-research organization Pelotonia have already established headquarters in those facilities.
The district operates as part of the broader Ohio Discovery Corridor, an initiative launched in 2020 by the State of Ohio and JobsOhio to connect research and health institutions across Columbus, Cleveland, and Cincinnati. Alongside physical infrastructure expansion, Ohio State recently secured a partnership with Google to link faculty and students with Google Cloud engineers, DeepMind research capabilities, and advanced artificial intelligence computing resources.
.@OhioState held a groundbreaking ceremony Tuesday for The Timashev Technology Tower, which marks the next chapter for the Innovation District and for the innovation economy the university is building in central Ohio and across the state. https://t.co/BV0FC5xKmS
More on Timashev Technology Tower
Photos: Ohio State leaders break ground on new Timashev Technology Tower https://t.co/sPHTeTk3DZ
.@OhioState broke ground today on the Timashev Technology Tower, a new home for technology and life sciences innovation and the next chapter in a long-planned effort to make Central Ohio a hub for healthcare, energy, and technology. @LtGovJimTressel @OhioStatePres @nationwidekids pic.twitter.com/saNyVlaCpU
