Jump to main content.

THIS IS AN ARCHIVED SITE

This site contains information that has been considered archived and will no longer be updated. Please click here to go to the CURRENT eda.gov website.

A bureau within the U.S. Department of Commerce
Funding Opportunities Background

Office of Innovation and
Entrepreneurship (OIE)

Clemson University Land Stewardship Foundation, Inc. (CULSF)

Location

Clemson, SC

Project Name

Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR)

Program

Science & Research Park Development Grants

Award Amount

$395,000

Clemson University Land Stewardship Foundation (CULSF) will develop of a new master plan for the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR) campus located in Greenville, South Carolina.  CU-ICAR is a unique, automotive-focused science and technology park which plays a pivotal role in supporting the growth of the automotive and advanced manufacturing industries as an innovation campus in the state and the southeast.

The current master plan was developed in 2005, with an update completed in 2007.  The existing master plan envisioned the CU-ICAR campus as a system of five (5) interconnected “technology neighborhoods”, clusters of industry partners grouped around R&D facilities, with access to graduate student teams.  Since then, the needs of the U.S. automotive industry, particularly the demands for workforce development education, and the nature of the surrounding community have all changed substantially, thus driving the need for changes in CUICAR’s ecosystem and the master plan, especially to accommodate growth in the automotive sector.  With a new master plan, CU-ICAR will be better positioned to serve its multiple constituencies and to become an even stronger force driving the South Carolina economy.

Since its establishment, The CU-ICAR campus has created 770 new jobs, and the expansion of CU-ICAR activities will provide space for developing new technologies in the automotive industry, thus supporting the intersection of productivity, innovation, and entrepreneurship within the region.  The new One Research building alone is expected to create 220 jobs and generate $2.6 million in private investment at its outset.