The Bioscience and Technology Business Center is located on Kansas University’s West Campus.

Business is booming at the business incubator on Kansas University’s West Campus.

The 21,000-square-foot Bioscience and Technology Business Center, 2029 Becker Drive, that was completed in 2010, filled up with tenants within 18 months.

That prompted construction of a $10 million, 30,000 square foot expansion that was completed this summer.

“It has been successful so far and I think we are going to do OK,” said Mike Smithyman, director of operations at BTBC.

The expansion will accommodate at least 13 companies at various levels of development, including startups based on KU research, and private companies wanting to collaborate with KU researchers.

The expansion provides new wet-lab and dry-lab space, conference rooms and offices for the KU Center for Technology Commercialization (KUCTC), which is the university’s principal resource for industry partnerships, intellectual property protection and management, and community economic development.

The facility is located across the street from the highest concentration of life science and technology labs in the state and KU’s School of Pharmacy.

Funding for the expansion was provided by KU Endowment, the KU Center for Research, Inc., the city of Lawrence, Douglas County and the Lawrence business community. The $7.25 million first phase of the main facility was funded by these organizations and the Kansas Bioscience Authority.

The BTBC is the largest business incubator in Kansas and has also added a facility at the KU Medical Center in Kansas City, and two other facilities in Lawrence. At all locations combined, the BTBC has 29 tenant companies with more than 100 employees, according to KU officials.