Technology firm to increase rented space at S.T.A.R. Park
November 19, 2014 - 12:10am
Jake Goodman
S.T.A.R. Park will undergo expansion, creating space that will be leased by Quantam Materials.
Representatives of Quantum Materials, a technology firm, have expressed interest in renting additional laboratory space at the Science, Technology and Advanced Research (S.T.A.R.) Park, a move that would create additional job opportunities for students, faculty and residents.
Officials at the firm plan to rent more lab space at the S.T.A.R. Park facility, said David Doderer, vice president of Research and Development at Quantum Materials. Officials intend to staff the labs with researchers who are currently at other facilities.
Stephen Frayser, executive director of S.T.A.R. Park, said the Quantum Materials expansion is not official yet but is part of a two-phase plan. The facility now has 14,000 square feet of usable space. The space will cover 32,000 square feet after the university completes the second phase of construction in 2015.
Frayser said a total of 40 people are employed at S.T.A.R. Park, including researchers, interns and office staff. The additional space Quantum Materials is interested in will help add to that total.
“Our research requires us to reach across disciplines,” Doderer said. “When we have the need, we’ll reach out to Texas State students and faculty.”
Quantum Materials is currently studying photolytic cells that are placed in electronics such as LCD TV’s or smartphone displays, Doderer explained. The photolytic cells study would also be researched in the new space at S.T.A.R. Park.
Doderer said the new researchers will be moved from other research laboratories where Quantum Materials works, including facilities in the Netherlands and at the University of Nevada. Research staff from Quantum Materials will increase from four to seven after the expansion.
“In addition to being able to use space, we require companies to do things above and beyond,” Frayser said. “That includes internships and research that expands as the company grows.”
The success of companies at S.T.A.R. Park makes it easier for students to find jobs in specialized industries, Frayser said. The jobs created by firms like Quantum Materials pay wages 50 to 60 percent higher than conventional companies .
“The overall goal is to increase corporate activity and allow technology and brainpower to support that,” Doderer said.
Frayser said the presence of technology firms also makes other companies move in to support the innovation.
“The implications for San Marcos are really broad,” said Adriana Cruz, president of the Greater San Marcos Partnership. “As the companies grow, we get new jobs, suppliers relocate here and we really start to develop a cluster.”
The firms in S.T.A.R. Park are already attracting more technology companies to the San Marcos area, Cruz said. Representatives of PetaOmics, Inc., another startup cat S.T.A.R. Park, have engaged in discussion with Cruz. The startup has connections to Spanish companies that may relocate to San Marcos.
Frayser said the expansion creates investment opportunities for students.
Companies that start in San Marcos makes investment easier than it would be at a larger companies, Cruz said. Students can become involved in local companies during their initial stages.
Cruz explained the geographic position between the San Antonio and Austin metropolitan areas and research and facility support from the university make San Marcos an attractive option for innovation companies like Quantum Materials. San Marcos is being called “the innovation corridor.”
“When a lot of people think about San Marcos, they might not think of these industries,” Cruz said. “But San Marcos is going to be known for these going forward.”
http://star.txstate.edu/node/2927
November 19, 2014 - 12:10am
Jake Goodman
S.T.A.R. Park will undergo expansion, creating space that will be leased by Quantam Materials.
Representatives of Quantum Materials, a technology firm, have expressed interest in renting additional laboratory space at the Science, Technology and Advanced Research (S.T.A.R.) Park, a move that would create additional job opportunities for students, faculty and residents.
Officials at the firm plan to rent more lab space at the S.T.A.R. Park facility, said David Doderer, vice president of Research and Development at Quantum Materials. Officials intend to staff the labs with researchers who are currently at other facilities.
Stephen Frayser, executive director of S.T.A.R. Park, said the Quantum Materials expansion is not official yet but is part of a two-phase plan. The facility now has 14,000 square feet of usable space. The space will cover 32,000 square feet after the university completes the second phase of construction in 2015.
Frayser said a total of 40 people are employed at S.T.A.R. Park, including researchers, interns and office staff. The additional space Quantum Materials is interested in will help add to that total.
“Our research requires us to reach across disciplines,” Doderer said. “When we have the need, we’ll reach out to Texas State students and faculty.”
Quantum Materials is currently studying photolytic cells that are placed in electronics such as LCD TV’s or smartphone displays, Doderer explained. The photolytic cells study would also be researched in the new space at S.T.A.R. Park.
Doderer said the new researchers will be moved from other research laboratories where Quantum Materials works, including facilities in the Netherlands and at the University of Nevada. Research staff from Quantum Materials will increase from four to seven after the expansion.
“In addition to being able to use space, we require companies to do things above and beyond,” Frayser said. “That includes internships and research that expands as the company grows.”
The success of companies at S.T.A.R. Park makes it easier for students to find jobs in specialized industries, Frayser said. The jobs created by firms like Quantum Materials pay wages 50 to 60 percent higher than conventional companies .
“The overall goal is to increase corporate activity and allow technology and brainpower to support that,” Doderer said.
Frayser said the presence of technology firms also makes other companies move in to support the innovation.
“The implications for San Marcos are really broad,” said Adriana Cruz, president of the Greater San Marcos Partnership. “As the companies grow, we get new jobs, suppliers relocate here and we really start to develop a cluster.”
The firms in S.T.A.R. Park are already attracting more technology companies to the San Marcos area, Cruz said. Representatives of PetaOmics, Inc., another startup cat S.T.A.R. Park, have engaged in discussion with Cruz. The startup has connections to Spanish companies that may relocate to San Marcos.
Frayser said the expansion creates investment opportunities for students.
Companies that start in San Marcos makes investment easier than it would be at a larger companies, Cruz said. Students can become involved in local companies during their initial stages.
Cruz explained the geographic position between the San Antonio and Austin metropolitan areas and research and facility support from the university make San Marcos an attractive option for innovation companies like Quantum Materials. San Marcos is being called “the innovation corridor.”
“When a lot of people think about San Marcos, they might not think of these industries,” Cruz said. “But San Marcos is going to be known for these going forward.”
http://star.txstate.edu/node/2927
