"We now have a prime business location to go along with our strong financial support from Toucan," Cognate COO Dr. Alan Smith says. "Add our core technology to the mix and we think that's a successful combination."

The company officially committed to the techcenter @ umbc space at the end of 2002, and as of now, is up and running at full capacity. Leasing terms have not been released.

"Cognate Therapeutics is the type of tenant company we look for at UMBC," UMBC Research Park Corp. director Ellen Hemmerly notes. "They have experienced leadership, a solid business plan, a strong financial base from Toucan Capital, and biomedical technology with huge potential." Of course, there is still room for other such companies at the incubator, and UMBC continues to pursue those options.