Tulane’s plan for a new technology campus focused on coastal applied sciences and engineering is finally moving forward. The plan, originally called Riversphere, has been in the works since before Katrina.
The new campus will house the Tulane University Riverfront Campus for Applied Coastal Sciences and Engineering and will be located in downtown New Orleans next to Mardi Gras world.
By significantly increasing capacity for coastal applied sciences and engineering, the riverfront campus will help transform New Orleans into a leading hub for green jobs, infrastructure and technologies. The campus will serve as a magnet for research and investment, providing an exceptional platform for expanding existing and emerging economic sectors capable of restoring and protecting the coast.
The new campus will be located on the Mississippi River waterfront close to the Morial Convention Center and Central Business District. Construction is now underway, with the first phase expected to open in April 2015. This will result in 15,000+ sqft of new laboratory, exhibition, educational, and conferencing facilities. Another 39,000 sqft of space will be completed in a second phase to provide additional laboratory, equipment storage, external facilities, and public outreach facilities. Another ~400,000 sqft could be developed on the property to fully realize its economic potential.
The core of the Center will be laboratory suites for applied science and engineering research on the physical, biological, and coupled natural-human elements of rivers, coasts, and urbanizing deltas. Faculty and staff at the Center will work closely with city, parish, state and federal clients to develop and implement targeted research and restoration projects.
Business incubation & technology transfer
The Center will further promote economic development by providing businesses and institutional partners office suites configured to promote academic-industry and public-private partnerships. The Center will help entities advance best practices by facilitating development, testing and commercialization of technologies or processes for coastal protection and restoration. Through institutional mechanisms available from Tulane and its associates, the Center will ensure protection of intellectual property generated by invested parties.
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