The recently opened Research and Innovation Center at The Park adds a new dimension to the ever-growing business research and development complex on the edge of Auburn University’s campus.

“We want to make this area and the state a better place,” said Cary Chandler, senior director of the Auburn Research and Technology Foundation (ARTF), located in The Park. “We see ourselves as a portal through which companies and individuals will view the state.”

The Park, formerly known as Auburn Research Park, is a catalyst for new technology. (contributed)

This month, Alabama NewsCenter is taking a closer look at The Park and how its elements combine to make the complex a growing force in Alabama’s innovation and entrepreneurial landscape.

At the core of The Park’s operations is ARTF. Founded in 2004, its mission is to help grow the region economy by developing infrastructure that fosters entrepreneurship, creativity and business advancement. The foundation collaborates with Auburn University and its Office of the Vice President of Research and Economic Development through contracts and partnerships, helping take applied research and moving it toward successful commercialization.

Located off South College Street, The Park, formerly known as Auburn Research Park, has seven buildings on 171 landscaped acres with 480,670 square feet of space and 921 full-time employees. Established in 2008 through a partnership among the state of Alabama, the city of Auburn and Auburn University, The Park provides a unique array of assets while serving as an impressive south gateway to the university campus.

Among the amenities in the recently constructed Research and Innovation Center are an event center called 540 at The Park, a second location of Amsterdam Café and strategically placed outdoor seating and classrooms. The outdoor seating provides opportunities for “creative collisions” among employees and students from neighboring buildings involved in different fields of study.

The Park continues to add new buildings and facets to its complex and strives for a collaborative environment. (contributed)

Included in The Park’s ecosystem are the ARTF building, the Auburn University MRI Research Center and the Center for Advanced Science, Innovation and Commerce (CASIC). Rounding out the complex are the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, the Early Child Learning and Development Center, which provides quality day care options for employees and researchers, as well as for Auburn University faculty, and the new East Alabama Health Auburn Medical Pavilion.

Housed inside the infrastructure are programs like the New Venture Accelerator, which helps provide resources, funding, support and opportunities for entrepreneurs and startups.

“We don’t develop real estate,” said Bill Dean, executive director of ARTF. “We develop community.” Dean joined the team in 2020. He has more than three decades of executive experience in developing research and innovation parks.

Dean said the collaboration taking place at The Park is vital to its success. He said that individually, the programs, institutions, creative minds and entrepreneurs at The Park “can make a big difference. But together, we can make an even bigger difference.”

It’s those “critical linkages” that help move an idea to a licensed patent, to a business proposal and to a functioning commercial enterprise that creates wealth and jobs, Dean said.

Learn more about The Park at thepark.auburn.edu.

Next: A closer look at The Park’s New Venture Accelerator.