Facilities
Columbia's innovation pipeline provides a wealth of physical infrastructure to support and nurture any knowledge-based company, from a pre-market startup to advanced manufacturing industrial player. Our region boasts one of the most supportive physical environments for any stage of commercialization.
Innovista
Located in the heart of downtown Columbia and a short walk from the University of South Carolina's campus, Innovista integrates public and private sector research in high-tech, high-density facilities. Signature research areas include hydrogen fuel cells and other alternative energies, health sciences, nanotechnology, environmental sciences, and software and technology to support the knowledge economy. Innovista is home to the NSF Center for Fuel Cells, the Future FuelsTM program, USC's Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Center of Excellence, the Energy Frontier Research Center, and the USC Nanocenter, among many other nationally acclaimed research programs in areas outside of energy.
The Horizon Center
Includes two research-related buildings, one public and one private, focusing, among other research disciplines, on Future FuelsTM research. The 235,000 sqft facilities will include both dry and wet lab space, and will be home to the Innovista IdeaLab and the Innovista Innovation Center.
Innovista IdeaLab
IdeaLab is a wet lab incubator for high tech start-up companies and research landing parties. Proximity to global thought leaders in Future FuelsTM, commercialization support, and access to Columbia’s downtown innovation district provide start-up companies with the right assets to bring any technology to market in a cost-effective manner.
USC-Columbia Technology Incubator
Nominated in 2009 as National Incubator of the Year, the USC-Columbia Technology Incubator works to increase the vitality of the regional economy by recruiting and nurturing start-up companies that advance technology development, employ highly skilled workers and contribute to the economic development of the area. Since 1998 the incubator has nurtured 51 companies, created 645 jobs, and has facilitated over $29,000,000 in follow on investment capital.
SCRA-USC Innovation Center
In partnership with USC, SCRA is providing a facility in Columbia to house high-tech companies emerging from research at USC and entering commercialization and light manufacturing stages. The facility is situated and designed to stimulate and sustain clean next-generation manufacturing. With an investment of $5.6M in 2009, the center boasts over 74,000 sqft, room for 10-15 high tech light manufacturing start-ups, and direct proximity to Innovista.
Midlands Technical College (MTC) Business Accelerator
The Business Accelerator serves as an accelerator and temporary home for companies that are ready for start-up production. It is a flexible multi-bay building designed to simultaneously accommodate several emerging businesses, industries or technologies as each ramps up for initial production. Once the company is ready to leave the second-tier incubation stage, it will be positioned to permanently locate elsewhere on the 150 acre MTC Enterprise Campus.
MTC Enterprise Campus
MTC is offering a unique environment for business and education to co-locate on the 150 acre Enterprise Campus at Midlands Technical College. This partnership between the college and the private sector provides an innovative space where work blends with education in a manner found nowhere else in the country.