The Advanced Science and Technology Research and Entrepreneurship (ASTRE) scientific incubator at the University of Puerto Rico’s Molecular Research Center was officially inaugurated. Governor Jenniffer González Colón announced a $4 million allocation from the Department of Economic Development and Commerce (DDEC) to complete the UPR’s Innovation and Technology Transfer Center. ASTRE occupies 20,000 square feet on the fifth floor of the Molecular Center and features seven equipped laboratories, four certified clean rooms, and a shared workspace for entrepreneurs.
The incubator hosts six resident companies and nine companies incubated by the UPR’s Innovation and Commercialization Center. Projects developed at the facility include cancer therapies, high-precision sensors, and dental aligners designed and manufactured in Puerto Rico. The $4 million allocation will complete the financing for the UPRCITT project on the fourth floor of the Molecular Center, which received a $7.9 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in September 2023.