CONVERGE Innovation Center To Be Converted Into Biomanufacturing Incubator Near APG

HARFORD COUNTY, MD — Plans have been unveiled to develop a biomanufacturing incubator at a Harford County-owned facility near Aberdeen Proving Ground. The Maryland Department of Commerce awarded $500,000 to Early Charm who is the company behind the project.

Plans are to convert the CONVERGE Innovation Center, formerly known as the HEAT Center, located at the I-95/Aberdeen interchange, Harford County officials said.

Since 2012, Early Charm has been creating, owning and operating ventures that convert university and federal lab inventions into commercial products that it manufactures in the Pigtown neighborhood of Baltimore. Those products include advanced materials such as 3D printed ceramics for power electronics, nanofibers for hydrogen fuel cells, flame retardants for the army combat uniform and biologics modeling software for drug design, according to the company.

“When the Harford County Economic Development team explained their vision for growing a biotech hub associated with APG and introduced me to the Army’s needs to biomanufacture advanced materials, we saw a great opportunity to partner” said Ken Malone, executive officer of Early Charm. “We have deep expertise in advanced materials and are accustomed to working with the Army. Add in APG’s expertise in biomanufacturing and the visionary support that the Maryland Department of Commerce is providing and we think expanding our operations into Harford County is going to be a great success.”

Harford County Department of Economic Development spearheaded Early Charm’s application to capture funding for this project. Once completed, the project will advance Harford as a hub for commercializing advancements in biomanufacturing developed by APG and its defense contractors. Harford County is part of the Greater Baltimore Region named earlier this year as one of 31 federal tech hubs by the U.S. Economic Development Administration.

Through Harford County’s partnership with Harford Community College, the CONVERGE facility also will serve as a center for workforce development and support for innovative startups. Data science classes have already started at the site. Programming to help introduce the community college’s students to materials development and workforce training will begin once the building has been fully renovated.

“We are excited by this grant award and the state’s support of our vision for the CONVERGE Innovation Center as a hub for scientific discovery, entrepreneurship and workforce development in northeastern Maryland,” Harford County Executive Bob Cassilly said. “This project will bring extraordinary opportunities to advance biomanufacturing’s commercial applications and bring well-paying jobs to Harford County and the region."