Lacourse wants to expand the Innovation Plaza’s vision into the new District, further developing the amount of interaction between students and community startup businesses, while still keeping the Innovation Plaza for smaller/upcoming businesses. Right now, the building is filled with small companies incubating. We have about 50 businesses that have come out of that center. “We’ve had about 200 patent applications come out of the Innovation Plaza in the past five years. “We just don’t have enough space,” Lacourse said. Utah Tech already has an Atwood Innovation Plaza on campus that shares a similar vision with this upcoming Innovation District, but Lacourse explained that despite being open for only five years, the Innovation Plaza is already at max-capacity. Lacourse said Utah Tech wants to create an “innovation ecosystem,” where “different pieces of people with money, expertise and business formation” in the community can collaborate with Utah Tech students in order to mutually benefit all involved. George, Utah, J| Photo by Truman Burgess, St. View of 183-acre plot of land Utah Tech purchased last year, at junction of South River Road and SR-7, St. George News about the university’s official plans for the project. Michael Lacourse, Utah Tech’s provost and vice president for academic affairs, spoke to St.
“The District would be governed through the (UTU) Innovation Foundation and/or affiliated entity(ies) with a 2030 goal of producing $100-$200 million in annual economic activity and supporting applied and authentic education experiences for 2,000+ undergraduate and graduate students.” “Phase 1 of the (Utah Tech) Innovation District Campus would ideally open by 2026,” the presentation said, “and eventually range in size from a few dozen acres to possibly the entire 183 acres of the property.” George NewsĪccording to Utah Tech’s preliminary prospectus, “The District will provide high-impact and transformational opportunities for students to engage in active and applied learning with industry partners in laboratories, research and development facilities, business incubators and accelerators that advance career readiness of graduates.” George, Utah, J| Photo courtesy of Cheryl Caplinger, St. Aerial map showing upcoming Desert Color construction and Utah Tech’s plot of land, here classified at “DSU,” St. GEORGE - Utah Tech University has officially transitioned into the planning stage of its “Innovation District” – a potentially 183-acre campus near Desert Color Center, west of St.