The Innovation Center at Kettering University is a 9,000-square-foot investment in Michigan’s rich technology future. Kettering opened its new facility during grand opening ceremonies Tuesday, Aug. 31, from 5-7 p.m.
The Innovation Center is a $3.2 million project that will be the first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified building in Genesee County. It is also the first building in Kettering’s envisioned Technology Park. The facility was designed by SHW Group (www.shwgroup.com),
Neil Sheridan, director of Kettering University TechWorks, said the timing is ideal for the addition of the Innovation Center to the region’s entrepreneurship strategy. “There is growing momentum for economic recovery in Michigan built on an Innovation Economy,” Sheridan said. “This is a great place to manufacture complex, high-value products. Kettering with its partners in local government, businesses and associations will help drive this new model and our Innovation Center will be a key element in its success.”
“The Kettering Innovation Center is the incubator and the launching pad, for bringing new hi-tech ventures to life in our community—ventures that will transform this area into the dynamic and diverse business community of tomorrow,” said Tim Herman Flint & Genesee Chamber of Commerce CEO. “What was once was a center of manufacturing in our community will become a place for new buildings, new industries and new jobs for our community. “
Dr. Stan Liberty, President of Kettering University said, “The Innovation Center at Kettering addresses an up-until-now missing piece in the local mosaic of policies, infrastructure, financing, educational programming, and mechanisms of support for forming and nurturing science and technology-based small businesses. This facility will provide such businesses with dedicated wet and/or dry laboratory capabilities while they are nurtured through the first few years of their development, and in close proximity to the region’s most significant science and engineering assets at Kettering.”
SHW Group designed the 9,000-square-foot facility to be divided into public and private functional space, each supporting scientific and technologically-based ‘start-up’ companies that need dedicated laboratory space during their first three-to-four years of business. Amenities in the public space include a business center, furnished executive and administrative offices, a conference room with high-tech audio/video systems, a café dining and seating area, and a reception area. The private space will be home to six state-of-the-art wet and dry research laboratories. Each lab will be approximately 800 square feet and designed for easy reconfiguration.
Technology companies interested in the research and nearby manufacturing and logistical strengths should contact Neil Sheridan at 810-762-9728 or . For more on the Innovation Center, visit: http://www.kettering.edu/visitors/storydetail.jsp?storynum=3024