Public and Private Partnerships Fuel Innovation at the Richardson IQ
November 1, 2022
The University of Texas at Dallas and the City of Richardson celebrated the opening of the Richardson Innovation Quarter on Sept. 14. Occupying 1,200 acres of renovated commercial and industrial space, the Richardson IQ will be a hub for innovation and entrepreneurship designed to stimulate economic growth and technological development in the region.
At the heart of the vision for the Richardson IQ is an expansion of the tripartite relationship between the City of Richardson, UT Dallas and local businesses. This partnership promises to leverage a unique combination of resources to advance novel research programs, generate new technologies and commercialize intellectual capital within a premier innovation ecosystem.
“This is much more than a City of Richardson effort,” Richardson Mayor Paul Voelker said. “It’s more than a Dallas or Collin County effort. This is bigger than the North Texas region. The vision we have is that we will be a global influencer of technology and innovation. The collaboration that we’ll have between the city, UT Dallas and international companies will make a truly global marketplace.”
UT Dallas will open five applied research centers in the Richardson IQ. Each center was selected for its work on emerging technologies that embody forward-thinking solutions in their areas of specialization, including applied artificial intelligence and machine learning, imaging and surgical innovation, intelligent sensor design and transportation infrastructure.
The University is also expanding its Venture Development Center to the district as an incubator for the entrepreneurial efforts that evolve within the Richardson IQ. UT Dallas’ efforts at the IQ will be led by the new Centers for Emergent Novel Technology at the Innovation Quarter (CENT-IQ).
“With the Richardson IQ, our students, faculty and community partners will live, learn, study, play and innovate in this wonderful new facility,” said Dr. Calvin D. Jamison, vice president for facilities and economic development at UT Dallas. “This forward-thinking initiative will allow us to attract new businesses to the area and ensure that both UT Dallas and the Richardson community can contribute to the growth of our city and beyond.”
Industry partners will play an instrumental role in the new venture’s success. In addition to offering an avenue to commercialization for products developed in the Richardson IQ, businesses are investing in both the IQ’s fundamental research and physical infrastructure. Two local companies — ActivePure and ObjectSpectrum — are already leaving their mark at the Richardson IQ’s headquarters.
ActivePure, a Dallas-based air and surface purification technology company, donated $200,000 to support the Multi-Scale Integrated Interactive Intelligent Sensing (MINTS) Center led by Dr. David Lary. The MINTS center will develop and deploy a cost-effective irrigation decision-support tool to help municipalities, corporate campuses and homeowners save money by optimizing water usage.
The company’s donation also included the installation of ActivePure Technology throughout the 27,500-square-foot Richardson IQ headquarters. The technology provides a sustainable option to proactively reduce bacteria, mold, fungus and viruses in the air and on surfaces, including communicable diseases like bird and swine flu and COVID-19.
“The global challenges we face today demand bold innovation, and ActivePure is committed to helping the students and faculty at UT Dallas work toward new scientific findings and their commercialization,” said Joe Urso, CEO and chairman of ActivePure. “We are honored to contribute both financial and technology support to ensure UT Dallas can be a leader in innovation and the new frontier of safe, trusted and verified indoor air quality. ActivePure is a company that has been built by and through innovation, so we are grateful for this opportunity to support these future leaders in their innovative pursuits.”
ObjectSpectrum is a pioneering Internet of Things solution development company headquartered in Frisco. One of the network technologies the company installs and supports is LoRaWAN — Long Range Wide Area Network — enabling the rapid activation of low-cost sensor networks. Through a continuing partnership with the MINTS center, ObjectSpectrum is assisting with the configuration and deployment of LoRaWAN network infrastructure and sensors in support of MINTS projects. In addition, ObjectSpectrum contributed to installing a LoRaWAN network on campus at the Natural Science and Engineering Research Laboratory on the UT Dallas campus and is installing another at the Richardson IQ headquarters, creating an opportunity for additional MINTS deployments and other University projects.
“As experts and advocates for LoRaWAN technology, we are pleased to assist MINTS with their efforts,” said Eric Lenington, founder and CEO of ObjectSpectrum. “By providing equipment and expertise, we have established a LoRaWAN presence on the UT Dallas campus for use in research projects and smart campus implementations. The partnership with UT Dallas will continue to be a part of our mission to contribute to education and research.”
Together, ActivePure and ObjectSpectrum have joined UT Dallas and the City of Richardson to create a high-tech home for groundbreaking research and development.
“Collaborations like those nurtured at the Richardson IQ are the lifeblood of innovation, and I am pleased to recognize these examples of the power of industry and university partnerships,” said Dr. Richard C. Benson, president of UT Dallas. “UT Dallas is proud to bring our best and brightest from across campus to the IQ. Together we can solve some of our greatest business, medical, transportation and sustainability challenges.”
