OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) -- It's officially open, we were there as the ribbon was cut Wednesday for UNMC's new Catalyst building, a hub for research innovation, entrepreneurship, and community.
Despite uncertainty about federal funding, the University of Nebraska System remains confident in the future of this space.
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"It will be a place where companies can actually sort of mature to the point where they can leave and exist on their own. There is no such place for healthcare products in the state of Nebraska other than Catalyst right now," said Dele Davies, interim chancellor, University of Nebraska Medical Center.
Taylor Korensky is one of those entrepreneurs.
"We get to work with some world-class researchers and doctors, and just by running into these folks as we are walking the hallways, it has been a really cool experience just in the last two months," said Korensky, ceo of VisionSync.
Over the last few months, reporter Molly Hudson has talked to President Jeffrey Gold about federal funding concerns for health grants. With this new facility now open, she asked President Gold if there's concern for the future of the building.
"We are optimistic that there will be some catch-up and that a lot of our grants, that have been submitted, which are very competitive, will be funded. And that that funded research will produce licenses, patents, startups, and happen right here at the Catalyst," said Gold, president of the University of Nebraska System.
Right now, Gold says there are about $45 million in research grants that have been stopped, but he says he is aware of at least that many that have been started.
Catalyst is just the first building to open within the EDGE District, with a variety of collaborative spaces, a coffee shop, and a brewery inside.
"The idea is to create collisions to bring people together. There are a lot of things that bring people together, but frankly, having a cup of coffee or another type of beverage, sometimes is what it takes to get people to have big thoughts, to be willing to have conversations," Gold said.
Developing health-focused ideas and keeping those innovations in Nebraska.
In other development news around Omaha, reporter Molly Hudson learned the team behind Crossroads is planning a groundbreaking for June 16 at 2 p.m.