(Cleveland) - Gov. Ted Strickland announced today that Cleveland's Euclid Corridor is being designated a "Hub of Opportunity and Innovation" by the state, with the section between Cleveland State University and University Circle renamed the Cleveland Health-Tech Corridor.

Strickland says the designation is a symbol of the the state's commitment to biotechnology in the region.

Dr. Baiju Shah, CEO of the non-profit organization BioEnterprise explains that the immediate benefit of the designation will be a $250,000 matching grant from Ohio along with additional economic development funding in the future.


Mayor Frank Jackson, Gov. Ted Strickland & Dr. Baiju Shah.

In addition, Philips Healthcare is providing $33.6 million dollars for a new Global Advanced Imaging Innovation Center at University Hospitals Case Medical Center's Cancer Hospital.

Senior vice president James Mazelsky says they were attracted to the corridor because of access to so many high tech firms near their campus.

The state's Third Frontier Commission is providing $5 million for the center, which is scheduled to open in the spring.

University Hospitals CEO Tom Zenty III promises that the imaging center will provide doctors with new tools to quickly and accurately diagnose conditions.

Backers say Health-Tech Corridor is already growing and creating new jobs and currently hosts over 120 technology and biomedical companies.

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