Another boost for the Venture Development Center

Underway in the heart of Wheatley Hall on the campus of the University of Massachusetts Boston (UMass Boston) is an 18,000 sf high-tech metal-and-glass innovation center. Called the Venture Development Center (VDC), it will be completed in fall 2008, with operations beginning early 2009.

The project's purpose is to provide laboratory, office and collaboration space for research-oriented organizations to be close to UMass Boston’s researchers - to promote exchange of knowledge and commercialization of research.

"This is UMass Boston's first effort to create space on campus for joint research and development with industry and others," according to William Brah, assistant vice provost for research and executive director, Venture Development Center.

The project received a big boost last week with notification of a $1.5 million award from the federal Economic Development Administration (EDA), the only award made in the Boston metropolitan region. According to the announcement, "We believe this will be an exceptionally successful and economically lasting project." EDA’s investments have two goals: attracting private capital investment and creating higher-skill, higher-wage jobs. Last year, UMass Boston received $4 million in funding for construction of the VDC from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development.

The investments by federal and state economic development agencies underscore the role of UMass Boston as a source of innovation for the economy. The project’s location in Dorchester is especially significant to the economic development agencies, since the area exemplifies a significant challenge facing the Greater Boston region, that of spreading the benefits of the growth of the innovation economy to its inner-ring.

Life science research and development is the most promising inner-ring opportunity, according to most analysts. The VDC project positions UMass Boston for innovators in their very early stage that need small, reasonably priced lab and office space and need to collaborate with the university.

After three workshops attended by faculty members from across the university, Sasaki Associates Inc. designed a very flexible and adaptable facility to support how researchers work today to produce the innovations of tomorrow. The design features four small group collaboration spaces, one large group collaboration/presentation space, temporary offices and labs (two dry, two with fume hoods, two without) and informal gathering areas. It enables innovators to move from insight to discussion, sketching, modeling, computing, experimenting then feedback and informal debriefing, all in the same place.

This month an important construction milestone was met. Metal stud installation and framing were completed, and drywall installation is underway.