Innovation is happening. Right here.

Fitzsimons Innovation Community is a sprawling campus of leading-edge laboratory workspace where innovative health and life sciences companies of all sizes take their research to the next level to cure diseases, save lives, and improve care.

Smart, inclusive, forward-thinking, and highly educated people lead life sciences innovation in Colorado, the Hub for Health Impact. Together, we welcome life sciences organizations looking to call Colorado home and to collaborate with a robust community already in on the secret: the health and life sciences industry in Colorado is strong and making a global impact on the future of health.

Move in, and build your vision here—today.

The emphasis is on Community

We called it a community for a reason. From the board of directors to the newest company on campus, everyone at Fitzsimons Innovation Community knows that easy access to collaboration has direct results on success. From idea incubation to final-product manufacturing, your end-to-end innovation can come alive right here on our campus. All that Colorado sunshine is just a bonus.

Community

Cutting-edge discoveries in action

62%

Companies Hiring

Fitzsimons Innovation Community member companies are thriving. 62% of companies added employees to their workforce.

75%

Companies Fundraising

Most Fitzsimons Innovation Community member companies are actively involved in fundraising to power their progress.

16+

New Innovations

Fitzsimons Innovation Community member companies introduced more than 16 new innovations to the market in 2023.

$116M

Capital Raised

Last year, Fitzsimons Innovation Community member companies attracted more than $116M in investments to support R&D, prepare for clinical trials, accelerate commercialization, and retain or recruit talent.

75%

Companies with Discoveries

Fitzsimons Innovation Community member companies made news with major breakthrough discoveries last year. Areas included molecular biology, pharmaceuticals, medical device, research tools, cell and gene therapy, material science, and diagnostics.

50%

Companies Forging Strategic Partnerships

Fitzsimons Innovation Community member companies forged strategic partnerships for business collaboration, legal services, and venture capital opportunities.

*Fitzsimons Innovation Community Member Growth Survey responses (January – December 2023)

A heritage of healthcare and innovation

Fitzsimons Innovation Community stands on the grounds that once held the Fitzsimons Army Hospital, where soldiers returning from World War I were treated. The Colorado high altitude has always been a destination for advancements in lung treatment, and 100 years ago, soldiers sought cures for tuberculosis and mustard gas exposure right here.

After the Army decommissioned the hospital in the 1990s, ideas for the current University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and Fitzsimons Innovation Community began to percolate. That rich history of discovery, care, and research continues to inspire our vision a century later.

VISION

Our team is on your team

You know best when it comes to your projects, and we know how to keep you up and running with first-class scientific facilities management and community engagement. Our priority is to help you thrive on this campus and we have the proven tools and expertise to make that happen.

Don Larson

Facilities engineer

Erica N. Slaughenhoup

Accounting Specialist

Julie Ehler

Accounting Lead

Lyle Artz

Site manager

Steve VanNurden

PRESIDENT & CEO

Sue Niblo

Senior property manager

Thomas Smith

Vp, finance & operations

“The workspace has been perfect for our projects, but the most impressive thing to me has been the community. We’ve collaborated with researchers from the CU Anschutz Medical Campus, networked with other Fitzsimons Innovation Community members, and bounced ideas off some of the best minds in healthcare. And it’s all contributed to us moving forward in our research.”

Scott Deeter

CEO, InVitria

“I park my car in the morning, and then I never move it until I leave after work. We walk to lunch and meetings and take advantage of the outdoor space as much as we can during the day. Work-life balance happens right on campus.”

Kristin Nixon

President, PhosphoSolutions

Community

Fitzsimons Innovation Community News

VIEW ALL NEWS

News | Dec 18, 2024

Former Denver Mayoral Candidate Leading Aurora's Largest Development Project

Former Denver mayoral hopeful Kelly Brough is taking over one of Aurora's most notable development projects as the CEO of Fitzsimons Innovation Community (FIC), a life sciences research campus crowning the north end of the city. Mayor Mike Coffman expects the Fitzsimons complex to be one of the main economic engines for Aurora once development is done for its housing, research and commercial properties.

News | Dec 10, 2024

Kelly Brough Heads Health and Life Sciences Campus

Fitzsimmons Innovation Community in Aurora named Kelly Brough its new CEO to lead the integrated campus of more than 80 innovative health and life sciences companies.

News | Dec 10, 2024

Denver Business Leader Tapped to Be CEO of Aurora Innovation Campus

A longtime Denver-area business leader will serve as the next CEO of Fitzsimons Innovation Community in Aurora. Kelly Brough, formerly CEO of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce and a candidate for Denver mayor in 2023, will lead the life sciences campus beginning next year.

News | Dec 10, 2024

Ex-Denver Metro Chamber CEO, Denver Mayoral Candidate Brough to Lead Fitzsimons

Kelly Brough, the former CEO of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce and a Denver mayoral candidate in 2023, will take over as CEO of Fitzsimons Innovation Community when Steve VanNurden retires at the end of the year.

News | Dec 06, 2024

Aurora's Fitzsimons plans development opportunities on 60 acres

Leaders of the Fitzsimons Innovation Community in Aurora are focusing their vision of what could be developed on the final 60 acres of the region's biggest life sciences campus. The plan for the undeveloped north side of the campus calls for high-density residential units to be built and features like an outdoor amphitheater and an art park, emphasizing the lifestyle elements of the campus that seeks to attract talent in the bioscience and health care industries.

News | Dec 05, 2024

From ‘Flyover State’ to Innovation Hub: Steve VanNurden’s Legacy at CU Anschutz

When Steve VanNurden left the Mayo Clinic to join the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus 12 years ago, Colorado was regarded as a “flyover state” in healthcare innovation. Today, it’s on the map as a recognized bioscience leader. As associate vice chancellor of biotechnology at CU Anschutz and president and CEO of the Fitzsimons Innovation Community, VanNurden helped transform the campus through CU Innovations, a program he founded to strengthen the link between groundbreaking research and commercialization to revolutionize technology transfer.

News | Dec 03, 2024

Fitzsimons Life Sciences Campus Launches Search for New Leader

Fitzsimons Innovation Community CEO Steve VanNurden will retire from his role at the end of the year. VanNurden has led the Aurora-based integrated life sciences campus, which includes dozens of companies and residential communities, for 12 years. A national search is now underway to find a new campus leader.

News | Dec 03, 2024

Fitzsimons Innovation Community CEO Retiring, Biotech Campus Searching for New Leader

Steve VanNurden, who has led the Fitzsimons Innovation Community since 2012, is retiring, and the Aurora-based life-sciences entrepreneurship campus is embarking on a national search for its new leader.

News | Dec 03, 2024

Fitzsimons Innovation Community Welcomes RefinedScience

RefinedScience, a local biosciences company will move its headquarters to Fitzsimons Innovation Community following a new lease deal. To accelerate its path to market, RefinedScience transitioned from The Foundry, a CU Innovations incubator at Fitzsimons, to a its new move-in ready space in November.

News | Dec 02, 2024

Fitzsimons Innovation Community CEO Announces Retirement

Fitzsimons Innovation Community President and CEO Steve VanNurden will retire at the end of 2024. After nearly 35 years as a life sciences industry leader, VanNurden leaves a lasting impact on the Community, on the adjacent University of Colorado (CU) Anschutz Medical Campus where he also serves as Associate Vice Chancellor of Biotechnology, and on Colorado’s life sciences ecosystem.

Phone. Address. Email.

Want to stay on top of what’s happening on campus?

Sign up for regular updates from Fitzsimons Innovation Community.

Thank you for subscribing!