Cortex Innovation Community

The Cortex Innovation Community is home to a vibrant 200-acre technology district integrated into St. Louis’ historic Central West End and Forest Park Southeast residential neighborhoods, surrounded by nationally ranked universities and medical centers and abundant cultural and recreational assets that include the Grand Center arts district, the Missouri Botanical Garden, and 1,400-acre Forest Park that is host to the St. Louis Zoo, the St. Louis Art Museum, the Missouri History Museum, the St. Louis Science Center, biking and walking trails and two public golf courses. The area has been described as a little European, a little New York, and totally St. Louis.

Cortex is a tax exempt 501(c)3 formed in 2002 by Washington University in St. Louis, BJC Healthcare, University of Missouri – St. Louis, St. Louis University, and the Missouri Botanical Garden to capture the commercial benefits of university and regional corporate research for St. Louis.

Since inception, Cortex has completed or has under construction 1 million square feet of new and rehabilitated space totaling $350 million of investment and generating 2,500 technology-related jobs. A new Interstate 64 interchange and public park together with streetscape improvements will be completed by April 2014. When fully implemented, the Cortex master plan projects $2.1 billion of construction, over 4.5 million square feet of mixed-use development (research, office, clinical, residential, hotel, and retail), a new MetroLink light-rail station and 13,000 permanent technology-related jobs.