Technology/Research Park Development News

Carbondale, Illinois

The latest issue of the Illinois Coalition's TechAlert reports Southern Illinois University at Carbondale has broken ground on the $40 million, 45-acre Southern Illinois University Research Park. Plans call for the park to include 12 buildings totaling nearly 236,000 sq. ft. When full, the park should house approximately 75 companies with 800-1,200 tech-skilled employees. Financing for the initial phase has come from an Illinois FIRST grant of $500,000, a $300,000 Congressional

earmark, and approximately $700,000 in other federal funds. Verizon also has invested $800,000 in an on-site fiber optic switching center. The park is adjacent to the university's Dunn-Richmond Economic Development Center, which houses the Southern Regional Center of the Illinois Manufacturing Center and the Business Incubator Program.

Roanoke, Virginia

Residents are beginning to question the rapid rise in Roanoke's debt load to finance many redevelopment projects aimed at making the city more attractive for technology businesses, according to a recent story in the Roanoke Times & World News. The city has more than doubled its dept per capita over the last three years to $1,943 per resident. Among the bonds issued last year were $14 million for the redevelopment of a 74-acre known as the South Jefferson St. Area into the Riverside Centre for Research and Technology. The city's plans and the commitment from the first tenant suggest to supporters that the investment risk is worth it.

The anchor tenant of the new research park will be the Carilion Biomedical Institute, a partnership between Carilion Health System, Virginia Tech and the University of Virginia. In 2002, the institute is expected to begin construction of the park's first new building, a new 50,000 facility that will include 20-30 staff and a business incubator for biomedical businesses. Carilion Health System has already committed $20 million to the non-profit and, along with the two universities, has agreed to raise an additional $10 million from outside sources. Within seven years, the institute will be self-sustaining and have secured more than $75 million.

When completed, the City Manager says the research and technology park will offer 1,250,000 sq. ft. of building space and could attract up to $175 million in capital expenditures and up to 2,500 new jobs.

Starkville, Mississippi

The Golden Triangle Enterprise Center, a technology incubator and assistance center in the 220-acre Mississippi Research and Technology Park, will be moving to larger facilities in the park as a result of $1.5 million in funding secured from the U.S. Economic Development Administration. An additional $2 million for construction of the 25,000 sq. ft. facility came from the Tennessee Valley Authority, Appalachian Regional Commission, OCEDA, the City of Starkville, and the Mississippi State University Research Foundation. The new building will also have 5,000 sq. ft. of clean room space available for lease to client companies.

In other news, the Mississippi Research and Technology Park has announced Viking Range Corp. is locating an R&D center in the park as a result of the company's alliance with Mississippi State University. More information on the park, operated by the Oktibbeha County Economic Development Authority, is available at: http://www.oceda.org/index.html