Erie Receives $30 Million for ED Center

An increasingly recognized and critical component of building a tech-based economy is the integration of university or college research and training capabilities into the local economic development strategy. While considerable attention is paid to the regional impact of large research institutions, not every community is home to an MIT, University of Texas, or Stanford.



Cities like Erie, Pennsylvania, – home to several small institutions of higher learning – are providing useful examples of alternative approaches for businesses and the community to benefit from the intellectual resources and talent available through area colleges and universities.



Ten years of planning and cooperation among Erie’s business, community and academic leaders, in partnership with the state, resulted in the proposal for a Research and Economic Development Center (REDC) at Penn State Erie to serve as a hub for regional economic development. Last week, Governor Tom Ridge delivered $30 million -- the largest-ever state capital investment in Erie County history -- to construct the REDC.



By integrating business and engineering research and economic development activities, the 160,000 square-foot facility is expected to be an economic catalyst for the community. Located adjacent to the university-related research park known as Knowledge Park, REDC will serve existing and future park tenants as well as other area high-tech companies.



The Center will:

• co-locate many of the college's applied research centers and provide space for programs such as the Pennsylvania Technical Assistance Program, Ben Franklin Technology Partners, and the Plastics Technology Deployment Center to facilitate service delivery and collaboration.
• house Penn State Erie's School of Business and its School of Engineering and Engineering Technology.
• allow Penn State Erie to offer Information Sciences and Technology (IST) programming to Northwestern Pennsylvania. Due to a lack of space, Penn State Erie is the only Penn State location currently not offering the IST program.
• help to create a model of integration for business and engineering learning environments.
• include space to encourage and enhance faculty, staff and student entrepreneurship.

More information is available at: http://www.pserie.psu.edu/