Monday, December 03, 2007
University officials have begun laying the groundwork for the proposed Innovation Center to be developed at Carolina North, just north of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill campus. Because Carolina is one of the few public research universities without a research park or incubator where researchers could seek private partnerships to test discoveries that have commercial potential, Chancellor James Moeser believes the Innovation Center is crucial. For the past year, the University has worked closely with Alexandria Real Estate Equities of Pasadena, Calif., to develop a model for the center. Alexandria has created science and technology incubators around the world, from San Francisco and Seattle to Cambridge and Washington, D.C., in the United States and Scotland, Canada, China and India overseas. This is going to be a very exciting development for UNC and the town of Chapel Hill as this project moves forward and one is taking huge coordination to ensure minimal environmental and traffic impacts. I will keep you posted on this project as it unfolds.
Jodi