Clemson opens Center for Emerging Technologies at CU-ICAR

GREENVILLE — Underscoring its reputation as a leader in collaboration, Clemson University Wednesday officially opened its first multi-tenant building at the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR).

Located at the heart of CU-ICAR, the Center for Emerging Technologies provides office, administrative and laboratory space for the transportation, technology and energy sectors.

Emerging or established companies are able to expand and develop technologies that complement the research of Clemson faculty and students. The center is designed to complete the technology chain from laboratory to the consumer end-user.

Clemson University President James F. Barker said CU-ICAR, through the people who visit the campus every day, operates as a community. CU-ICAR’s worldwide reputation is the result of its successful partnerships, he said.

Since 2004, the CU-ICAR campus has garnered 19 corporate partners, 30 research partners and 775 employees across 760,000 constructed square feet. Occupied square footage is 375,000.

“We help companies make connections and build relationships,” Barker said. “We leverage Clemson’s extensive networks to build bridges and open doors.”

The 60,000-square-foot state-of the-art center represents an investment of $11 million. The Clemson University Real Estate Foundation received $3 million from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration and a $740,000 zero-interest loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

John Kelly, Clemson vice president for economic development, said the center’s success is testament to CU-ICAR’s reputation as the premier location for the automotive technology sector. 

More than a dozen companies and groups are established in the center, including Sage Automotive Interiors, a spinoff company started by former employees of Milliken and Co. who purchased the company’s automotive fabric division. Sage will occupy approximately 16,000 square feet of space in the center.

In less than a decade, CU-ICAR has become a model for economic development.

“CU-ICAR is  an automotive ecosystem that helps companies make connections and build relationships,” Kelly said said. “The Center for Emerging Technologies is the embodiment of that business model, and we are eager to see our newest partners flourish.”

The center is located on property adjacent to the AutoPark and tower housing the CU-ICAR Partnership Office, St. Francis VRUM fitness center and TD Bank Gallery in Technology Neighborhood One. 

END

List of tenants

Office/lab tenants

• Clemson Computing and Information Technology (CCIT) — 4,725 square feet
• Sage Automotive Interiors — 16,271 square feet
• MTC Federal Credit Union — 1,983 square feet
• South Carolina Research Authority (SCRA) — 1,115 square feet
• Thermo-Pur Technologies LLC — 2,913 square feet
• Focus Chemical — 2,719 square feet
• CU-ICAR Supplier Testing Laboratory — 8,942 square feet

Technology Café Tenants

• CADFEM U.S. Inc.
• L&L Products LLC
• Cooliemon Technologies Inc.
• Mallett Technology Inc.
• InnoVenture LLC
• DreamWeaver International Inc.
• Mumford Industries Inc.
• Clemson University Manufacturing Workforce Initiative
• Toho Tenax