UT Dallas Adds to New Richardson Innovation Quarter
UT Dallas is partnering with the city of Richardson to support the region’s startup and entrepreneur community by establishing a physical presence in the Richardson Innovation Quarter.
UT Dallas will locate five new research centers and an extension of its Venture Development Center (VDC) in the district, also known as the Richardson IQ, or The IQ. A 1,200-acre hub for innovation and entrepreneurship, the initiative aims to stimulate collaboration across businesses, attract new jobs and strengthen partnerships between the University, the city and the business community.
“Place matters, in many ways, more than ever,” said Steve Guengerich, associate vice president for innovation and commercialization at UT Dallas. “The Richardson IQ vision for the coming years is to be at the top of the list of places where people choose to live, work, learn and play. We are thrilled to be part of this vital new development.”
The five research centers, which were awarded seed fund grants by the Office of Research, will fall under the umbrella of the University’s new Centers for Emergent Novel Technology at the Innovation Quarter (CENT-IQ), which will be led by Guengerich. Each research center will focus on solutions related to specific technological specialties, including applied artificial intelligence, machine learning, imaging and surgical innovation, and smart mobility.
“As a Tier One research institution, one way we impact society is by moving innovation from the bench to the marketplace. The Richardson IQ will be a nexus for university and industry engagement to facilitate translation and commercialization,” said Dr. Joseph Pancrazio, vice president for research and professor of bioengineering. “I have every expectation that the University’s engagement at The IQ will have a long-term and lasting economic impact on our region.”
The VDC is a UT Dallas incubator designed to help students, faculty and alumni commercialize their ideas and inventions. The center offers a series of free and paid programs on location, including startup boot camps, speaker series, sales and marketing assistance for startups, mentor office hours, networking events and startup internship opportunities.
The newest VDC space and the CENT-IQ research centers will be located at 1302 E. Collins Blvd., owned by the city of Richardson and featuring research, co-working and lab spaces. UT Dallas will occupy approximately 10,000 square feet of the 27,500-square-foot building. Construction began this summer, with an opening planned for February 2022.
– Brittany Magelssen
