Kavanagh Advisory Group (KAG) of Danvers has been selected to develop up to four buildings in the next phase of downtown Worcester’s Gateway Park, a mixed-use, master-planned campus, with a primary focus on life sciences.

"We are pleased that a firm with the proven track record and life sciences development expertise of the Kavanagh Advisory Group will join us in the next stage of development of Gateway Park," said Dennis D. Berkey, president and CEO of Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI). "The firm clearly recognizes the potential for growth in the life sciences in Worcester and central Massachusetts."

WPI launched Gateway Park in partnership with the Worcester Business Development Corp. (WBDC).

The designation of KAG as the developer for the next phase of the park gives the firm the freedom to operate on the site, and to continue negotiating with potential tenants for new buildings. KAG is already at work securing the financing and other commitments that will be required for construction to move forward, according to a statement.

KAG is designing an 80,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art wet lab facility, its first building at the park.

"Gateway Park is an environment where academic, research and commercial enterprises thrive together," said John Kavanagh, founder and principal of KAG. "We see strong potential for additional growth at Gateway Park, and we look forward to moving quickly in hopes of breaking ground on a new building this year."

The first complex at Gateway Park, WPI’s Life Sciences and Bioengineering Center (LSBC), opened in 2007 and is fully occupied. The $50 million, 125,000-square-foot facility is home to a mix of academic and commercial entities, including graduate research programs in biology and biotechnology, chemistry and biochemistry, biomedical engineering, physics, mathematical sciences and chemical engineering.

KAG ha also built Boston’s Longwood Medical Area and Kendall Square in Cambridge.