Technology Alliance Group (TAG) for Northwest Washington
 

Bellingham/Whatcom County has been picked as 1 of 5 areas for technology investment by the State of WA

Tuesday, January 25, 2011 7:46 PM | Anna Ehnmark
Bellingham/Whatcom County has been picked as 1 of 5 areas for technology investment by the State of WA


Today the WA State Department of Commerce announced the award of five grants to Innovation Partnership Zones across the state to spur regional industry cluster development. TAG in partnership with WWU and POB successfully competed for and has been awarded $25,000 from the state to help accelerate technology commercialization and industry-university partnerships through the Bellingham Technology Development Center serving the Bellingham Innovation Partnership Zone and the Northwest Washington region.
 Technology Development Center
Technology Development Center
at 1000 F Street, Bellingham
What is the TDC?
The Technology Development Center (TDC) is an applied R&D center that offers companies opportunities to access university R&D resources such as technical expertise, specialized equipment, student talent, and collaborative R&D funding. The TDC also offers public meeting and conference rooms which are managed by the Port.

The TDC has been outfitted with a range of equipment and instrumentation to support R&D activities in advanced manufacturing, with a particular focus on the use of lightweight, advanced composite materials and rapid prototyping. Initially the TDC anticipates targeting companies in advanced manufacturing, marine and transportation related industries.

If you have a novel product idea and need external expertise or access to specialized equipment it may be available through WWU and the TDC. We want to hear from you!  TAG in partnership with WWU is planning to organize industry tours of the TDC and other outreach programs so that companies can learn more about how the TDC can benefit them.  

More about the Technology Development Center and Bellingham IPZ

The Bellingham Waterfront Innovation Zone, a state-designated Innovation Partnership Zone (IPZ), was created in 2007 to promote research & development and workforce training in the marine industries and related technologies.  The principal partners in this effort are Western Washington University (WWU), Bellingham Technical College (BTC) and the Port of Bellingham (POB).  With a $1 million state IPZ grant, $700,000 in federal funding and port funding, the 10,000 square foot Technology Development Center was opened in September 2009. The Technology Development Center, which is located at 1000 F Street on the Bellingham waterfront, brings together research and development (through WWU) in partnership with the private sector and practical work-force training for the new technologies (through BTC).

 WWU currently has three R&D projects at the TDC in the areas of vehicle design (hybrid bus project), renewable energy (biomethane project) and medical device technology (New Market Design Lab). These projects are supported by more than $1 million in external funding and each has one or more private sector partners, and the projects involve three WWU faculty and more than twenty WWU student interns.

 TAG's role as a trade association and partner is to act as a liaison with local technology and manufacturing industry and proactively link businesses and entrepreneurs with researchers and R&D resources at local colleges and other service providers.  As of June 2010, TAG's office is located in a portion of the TDC.

You can find out more information on WWU's activities in the TDC by downloading this flyer, and information about the Port of Bellingham IPZ at their website.

If you are interested in learning more please email Anna Ehnmark or call 360-318-7710.
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