Q. What is the Science and Technology Campus?
A. Developed as a university-associated research park, the STC will become
an important component of the Greater Columbus economic development infrastructure.
It will be a fundamental tool for focusing and extracting knowledge-based
assets that are created through research in the University, the nearby
area, and throughout Greater Columbus. It will create an environment where
new and rapidly growing high technology companies can transform knowledge
into products, processes and services.
Q. Why is the Science and Technology Campus needed?
A. With an increasingly diverse economic base - and the research capacity,
information technologies and educated workforce required to sustain economic
growth - central Ohio offers a healthy climate for both today's established
businesses and tomorrow's emerging enterprises. Yet, central Ohio's concentration
of technology employment is below the national average. Consequently,
to ensure continued prosperity into the next century, Greater Columbus
must build an innovative human and physical infrastructure capable of
responding to the formidable challenges posed by a knowledge-based, technology-driven,
fast paced economy.
In recent years, Greater Columbus has made substantial progress toward
strengthening its environment for technological innovation: creation of
the Business Technology Center, expansion of the Edison Welding Institute,
opening of an office of the Edison BioTechnology Center, establishment
of Columbus' Technology Task Force and increased availability of risk
capital from informal and institutional sources. Also, the University
has improved access to its expertise and experience with technology, just
as it has upgraded its capacity to license technology, broker strategic
alliances and create information networks.
Historically, Ohio has been a world leader in applying innovative products
and processes to make established businesses and industries more efficient.
Yet, Ohio's technology strategy for the next century must become more
responsive to one of the essential truths of the past quarter century:
Entrepreneurs and the fast growth companies they create are responsible
for most of the job growth in today's economy. The winners in the
innovation economy of the 21st century will be those who create it, not
merely those who marginally improve on the past.
Q. Where is the Science and Technology Campus located?
A. The Science and Technology Campus is situated west of Kenny Road and
east of North Star Road - bounded on the north by Lane Avenue and along
Kinnear Road on the South. This area is physically close to Ohio State's
central academic campus area and the research facilities of the University
and the Battelle Institute. The STC's initial properties include three
existing buildings along the Kinnear corridor and three very desirable
parcels of undeveloped land.
Q. How is the Science and Technology Campus being developed?
A. The basic design concept for the STC envisions architecturally unique
and functional facilities exhibiting modern materials and design features.
Four real estate products - reflecting customer needs of start-up, fledgling
companies to large, established businesses - are planned.
Incubator space and business development services for new high potential
technology companies, managed by
TechColumbus (an independent
business incubator located on the Scitech Campus),
will double to 50,000 square feet. As part of this expansion, suites for
new bio-medical companies will be created and the central Ohio office
of the Edison BioTechnology Center will provide business development services.
The STC's centerpiece property is Science Village - a modular and flexible
concept for high growth companies. The current development plan initially
calls for six project phases incrementally adding 75,000 net square feet
of Science Village space over the next eight years. The development plan
continues by adding an equal amount of Science Village space by 2014.
An Innovation Center is being developed as a flex-area for a variety
of uses including: temporary space for tenants waiting for higher quality
space in STC, project-type space for prototyping and small scale fabrication,
and space for high technology companies that do not require an external
public identity.
Stand-alone buildings will be constructed to the specifications of individual
businesses or for privately developed multi-tenant use. These large (40,000
square feet and greater) buildings will be developed in an opportunistic
manner by private developers or companies that will incur all development
costs. A variety of funding sources will be used to finance the development
and operations of the Science and Technology Campus. From the initiative's
inception in 1998 to the end of the initial planning horizon in 2014,
the Science and Technology Campus Corporation will spend $40.3 million
in capital investment and operating funds
Q. How is the Science and Technology Campus governed?
A. The STC has a Board of Directors composed of civic, business, and university
leaders that govern the corporation. The Board is building a quality management
team that will enact the STC vision.
|
home 
