The Halcyon Commercialization Center at Oak Ridge National Laboratory is the first space available for lease to private companies at a national laboratory, and four companies have already signed leases, officials said at a Monday afternoon open house.
The three-story, 28,000-square-foot building, formerly known as Building 2033, is designed for companies interested in collaborating with lab researchers, primarily on technology transfer, or commercialization of technologies developed at the lab.
It is part of the Oak Ridge Science and Technology Park, which is expected to eventually expand from 12 to 40 acres. It is the first private business park to be built at a national laboratory.
"This is part of a greater whole," Lawrence Young, Community Reuse Organization of East Tennessee president and chief executive officer, said in referring to the new center.
The Halcyon Commercialization Center has about 40 offices and conference room and laboratory space, said David Snider, vice president of business operations and chief financial officer for Technology 2020.
The new center and the science and technology park are being managed by Halcyon LLC, a CROET subsidiary, and Technology 2020.
Officials said the push for the building renovation and new park kicked off several years ago, with a goal of "cleaning up" the central ORNL campus, officials said.
There was new or almost new facilities on the east and west ends of ORNL, with an "eyesore" in the center, said Gerald Boyd, manager of the U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge Office.
"The idea was -- we really needed to finish this campus up," he said.
It's a unique facility in a unique park, said Thomas Zacharia, ORNL deputy director for science and technology.
"It symbolizes what is possible," he said.
The four companies that have signed leases at the Halcyon Commercialization Center are C3 International, a nanotechnology licensing company; Strata-G, a services firm that provides technical professionals to support clients performing critical operations; LRS Federal, a program and project management company; and XCEL Engineering, an environmental engineering firm.
The officials at Monday's ceremony praised the leadership and support of U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp, a Tennessee Republican who is now campaigning for governor, who attended the open house. The 15-year-old Halcyon Commercialization Center, formerly used for office space, was remodeled with funding from three U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development awards totaling $692,000.
By John Huotari
Source: The Oak Ridger
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