7/13/01
Research and Technology Park already a success
The NDSU Research and Technology Park is off to a rousing start. Dedicated during ceremonies May 12, 2001, the park is a partnership between entrepreneurs, technology-based businesses and university researchers that is intended to encourage economic development in the region.
"This is a project that's time has come," NDSU President Joseph A. Chapman said at the ceremony. "So what's the good idea? Very simply, there needs to be a place where university faculty, staff and students can work side-by-side with researchers from the private sector on cutting-edge projects."
Expectations for the park run high, as attested by the impressive list of dignitaries who addressed the crowd of onlookers during the dedication. Among the speakers were Rita Colwell, director of the National Science Foundation; John Lawson, senior vice president for technology and engineering, Deere and Co.; U.S. Sen. Byron Dorgan; Gov. John Hoeven; and Fargo Mayor Bruce Furness.
The park's cornerstone tenant is Phoenix International Corp., a John Deere company. The manufacturer of electronic controls and sensors occupies the park's first structure, an 80,000-square foot building, that provides laboratory and office space for about 320 employees.
The park's second building, scheduled for completion in October 2001, will include the Department of Polymers and Coatings, the beginnings of an advanced computer center and administrative offices for the park director, the North Dakota EPSCoR office and the NDSU Division of Research, Creative Activities and Technology Transfer.
"We're moving the polymers and coatings department-lock, stock and barrel-to the park, where they will be given sufficient space to double the size of the department," said Philip Boudjouk, vice president for research, creative activities and technology transfer. "That releases space in a number of campus buildings where their research activities had been spread."
Also planned is a second NDSU research building and a 25,000-square foot business incubator, where emerging companies will lease space as faculty and students work with them to prepare new products or develop technologies.
The successful start of the park benefits all parties, said Boudjouk. "It's a win-win situation all the way across the board," he said. "When you increase research on a university campus, you increase the ability for professors and students to realize their professional ambitions. There is a better chance for them to participate at the cutting-edge of research in their discipline, meaning a higher level of training for students and greater recognition for faculty and the university."
The business community also likes the park's potential.
"If anything, the excitement about the Research and Technology Park has increased," Boudjouk said. "NDSU is in a unique position, not only for its research strengths and performance, but also because of its location in the Fargo-Moorhead area.
"The park can clearly be a critical factor for economic development in the region," he said. "The outlook is very optimistic."
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