CoMotion, a business development arm of the University of Washington, has confirmed plans to expand to Spokane.

The mission of the new operation, which is to be called CoMotion Labs @ Spokane, will be “to contribute to the growth of the innovation community in Eastern Washington by bringing UW resources, assets, tools, and networks to the region,” the university says in a press release.

The Journal reported last  December that CoMotion had been in conversations with Spokane-based incubator Ignite Northwest about plans for establishing a presence here.

CoMotion says it has hired Brady Ryan to be the manager at CoMotion Labs @ Spokane. He will be based in the UW Spokane Center at 201 W. Main downtown.

Before joining CoMotion, Ryan worked as a commercialization manager and business development manager at Life Science Washington, a Seattle trade association supporting the broad life science ecosystem in the state, CoMotion says.

Ryan was charged with developing and maintaining programs focused on helping entrepreneurs get their technologies funded and to market.

Here, Ryan’s initial focus to start will likely be on manufacturing, health care, agriculture, and robotics, the press release says.

Steve Trabun, regional manager at Avista Corp., says in the release, “Spokane’s University District and the entrepreneurial ecosystem will greatly benefit with the presence of the University of Washington’s CoMotion Labs.”

Trabun adds, “Having CoMotion Labs in our community will further enhance the collaborative opportunities between Startup Spokane, a program of Greater Spokane Incorporated, and our region’s colleges and universities.”

Ignite Northwest and CoMotion have similar missions. Ignite Northwest formed as a nonprofit business accelerator at the beginning of 2015 with the goal of helping young technology companies overcome early startup challenges.

On its website, CoMotion says it’s able to help guide innovators through the process of commercializing ideas for startups, including by providing help in the areas of project development, intellectual property protection, marketing, licensing, and post-licensing support.

“The Spokane region is a growing innovation ecosystem with which we are excited to partner,” says Elizabeth Scallon, associate director of CoMotion Labs, in the release.

“We believe the economic development of Washington is best served when we unify and engage all parts of our state through cross-collaboration of ideas, startups, and resources,” Scallon says.