The research and development of medically-related devices and equipment is a strong suit for mid-Missouri because of the presence of the University of Missouri and its various health-related research centers and its research reactor center. Equipment and instrumentation includes a wide range of products, ranging from the most advanced lasers to relatively low-tech supplies.
Mid-Missouri fosters opportunities
for entrepreneurial innovation and features two university-supported facilities
with experience in helping new businesses get started. The Missouri Innovation
Center at Columbia is a new business assistance center supported by the University
of Missouri-Columbia and the Missouri Enterprise Center at Rolla interacts with
the University of Missouri-Rolla in much the same way, as well as providing
business assistance in several other areas of the state. Both facilities serve
as models to the mid-Missouri region for the process involved in moving technologies
developed at the university into the private sector for commercialization and
marketing.