Diane Chase, left, UNLV’s executive vice president and provost, and Marta Meana, acting president of UNLV, during a groundbreaking ceremony for the first innovation building in the Harry Reid Research & Technology Park (UNLV Tech Park) on West Sunset Road near Durango Drive Tuesday, July 17, 2018.
Tuesday, July 17, 2018 | 1:40 p.m.
UNLV broke ground today on the Harry Reid Research and Technology Park.
The university marked the start of construction on a $35 million, four-story building, the first piece of a 122-acre master-planned business, research and technology park. Once completed, the park will feature 10 to 15 buildings with up to 1.5 million square feet of office space.
UNLV acquired the land for the park in 2005 near Durango Drive and the 215 Beltway, but the recession delayed the start of construction. Officials hope the project moves UNLV toward its goal of becoming a top-tier research university.
“This is the kind of project that brings community and the university together,” said Marta Meana, UNLV’s acting president.
“It’s economic development, it’s workforce development, it’s opportunities for students to be involved in research that leads directly to employment,” Meana said. “Having research and business intersections is central to the top-tier effort. That’s where innovation happens.”
Students will work on research, economic development and business incubation projects. The building will also house some businesses and partners that have not yet been announced.
Las Vegas-based Switch donated a high-speed fiber optic connection for the tech park.
“We’re really looking at this first building as the physical representation that the park and UNLV are open for business for these types of activities,” said Zach Miles, associate vice president for economic development for UNLV.
CORRECTION: The construction cost of the building has been updated in this story. | (July 18, 2018)
