Wednesday, July 25, 2018

Dixie State University Innovation Plaza gets $1.75 million in funding

Dixie State University recently received more than $1.75 million in federal grants and donations, which it plans to use for high-tech equipment in its Innovation Plaza. The funding is the latest boost to the university's effort to further cutting-edge research, expand entrepreneurship and bring more high-paying jobs to the region. The new funds will enable the St. George university to buy items such as 3D printers and woodworking machines for its entrepreneurial makerspace and its biotech, medical and environmental testing lab.

Both facilities will be part of the plaza, a hub of resources for startups and others looking to innovate. The plaza occupies the former East Elementary, where building renovations are underway. It will be available to all area residents once those are complete.

 The makerspace will be a 6,000-square-foot center for skill training focused on increasing tech initiatives in the area. As part of that effort, Wayne Provost, director of innovation guidance and solutions at Dixie State, helps students and community members grow their ideas from concepts to patented products and viable business propositions. The 10,000-square-foot research lab will be in the plaza's Technology, Innovation and Entrepreneurship (TIE) Center. It will be home to Soft Cell Biological Research. The company, the first of its kind to culture L-form bacteria, works with DSU interns to develop antibiotics to treat autoimmune diseases. The Spectrum