In April 2006, groundbreaking for the Hershey Center for Applied Research signaled a new beginning for the College of Medicine and surrounding community.  Located adjacent to campus, land for the research center, owned by the Hershey Trust Company as Trustee for the Milton S. Hershey School, is designated by the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Econmic Development as a Keystone Innovation Zone (KIZ). 

KIZ status brings financial benefit to companies that locate in the Zone.  Along with a presence at the Center, this KIZ translates to new possiblities for Penn State and for the region.  The purpose of the KIZ program is to keep talent and business in Pennsylvania by facilitating the transition from laboratory to company. 

Placement of KIZ sites adjacent to university campuses fosters creation of technology communities in which the scientific foundations, business acumen, and funding sources necessary for incubation of new companies come together in one place.

The Medical Center and College of Medicine will lease 32,000 square feet of the building for the Department of Pharmacology and the Office of Technology Development. 

The Department of Pharmacology research portfolio spans the laboratory research continuum from the basic biology work that identifies drug targets through drug discovery and drug development.  Placement of this entrepreneurial department - which already ahs been the source of spin-off campnies - at the Hershey Center for Applied Research, will increase changes of placing the next spin-off clost to campus. 

The Office of Technology Development facilitates sharing of knowledge and research materials with both for-profit and non-profit partners, helps researchers translate their research results into technologies that others can use to benefit patients, and cultivates strong, constructive relationships with the business community.  The office's placement at the Center is a symbol of Penn State's commitment to the Commonwealth and the region.  In addition to being a prime location for companies relying upon College of Medicine technologies, the Center will offer tenants coming from elsewhere all of the access to the faculty expertiese and the open educational, library, and research resources available on campus.