Quidel Named First Partner at SDSU Mission Valley Innovation District, Founding Partner at Snapdragon Stadium
The San Diego-based diagnostics manufacturer is the first partner for the Innovation District, which is expected to break ground next year.
San Diego State University announced today the execution of partnership agreements with Quidel Corporation (“Quidel”), a subsidiary of QuidelOrtho Corporation (NASDAQ: QDEL) and a provider of rapid diagnostic testing solutions, cellular-based virology assays and molecular diagnostic systems, that will make Quidel the first partner in SDSU Mission Valley’s Innovation District and a Founding Partner at SDSU’s Snapdragon Stadium, the new home of Aztec football.
The agreements announced are in two parts: The first agreement establishes a research partnership between Quidel and the SDSU Research Foundation to pursue research projects that foster scientific learning and discovery. SDSU will provide the personnel, materials, equipment, and other resources required to conduct the research, and Quidel will provide diagnostic devices and input based on the company’s clinical and commercial expertise.
The second agreement is between Quidel and the Board of Trustees of the California State University, on behalf of its SDSU campus. The five-year sponsorship agreement cements Quidel as a “Founding Partner” of SDSU’s new Snapdragon Stadium and the “Official Diagnostics Partner of SDSU Athletics.” The partnership will create opportunities for direct engagement with local communities and provide important visibility to the benefits and availability of diagnostic testing services in the greater San Diego area.
“Quidel is proud to enter into this partnership with SDSU, building upon an already strong relationship with the university and its laboratories,” said Douglas Bryant, Chairman and CEO of QuidelOrtho Corporation. “SDSU is a premier research institution, and the Innovation District is a testament to its commitment to inspiring and developing the next generation of innovators and research breakthroughs. These efforts directly align with Quidel’s mission of advancing diagnostics to improve human health.”
With 1.6 million square feet of office, technology, laboratory and research space, the SDSU Mission Valley Innovation District will facilitate collaborations between SDSU researchers and public and private partners. It will consist of several hubs where particular areas of focus are approached through a lens of transdisciplinary collaboration. The first Innovation District and residential projects are expected to begin in 2023.
“The shared value SDSU and Quidel hold is in expanding the capacity of our regional workforce, and we will do so by collaborating to recruit, support and inspire our student researchers,” said SDSU President Adela de la Torre. “At SDSU, we are rapidly expanding both our research capacity and our community-based impact, and we are doing so in ways that directly engage our students so that they step into the workforce with excellent skills and innovative ideas.”
The announcement is the latest in a long-standing partnership between Quidel and SDSU. Quidel was also the title sponsor of SDSU's 2022 Student Research Symposium and continues to serve as the lead vendor for the university’s at-home COVID-19 tests for students, faculty and staff throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Quidel is already a trusted, longtime partner of SDSU. When our faculty responded to COVID-19 by leading large community testing efforts, Quidel quickly provided thousands of tests,” said SDSU Interim Vice President for Research and Innovation, Hala Madanat. “Now, with the Innovation District, that partnership continues. Our faculty and students are excited to team up with Quidel scientists on health innovations to improve society.”
“We see the Innovation District as a perfect opportunity to support SDSU and its engagement with the broader San Diego community,” Bryant noted. “Quidel’s sponsorship of SDSU Research, SDSU Athletics and Snapdragon Stadium puts us at the heart of the action in furthering the university’s pursuit of excellence and our shared commitment to this magnificent city.”
Quidel joins the Naval Health Research Center and the Family Health Centers of San Diego as partners in the Health Innovation Hub, the first of several transdisciplinary, collaborative hubs planned for the SDSU Mission Valley Innovation District.
“This partnership marks yet another significant step in SDSU’s delivering on the promises made to the greater San Diego community as we continue to develop SDSU Mission Valley,” SDSU Director of Athletics John David Wicker said. “Quidel joins us at an exciting time as we are now weeks away from Snapdragon Stadium’s debut as a premier San Diego sports and entertainment destination.”
Snapdragon Stadium is currently on schedule to be completed by September 3, 2022 when the SDSU Aztec football team is scheduled to play the University of Arizona Wildcats in the season home opener.
SDSU Athletics was represented by Legends and JMI Sports, which sourced and helped negotiate the agreement.
