Clemson Research Campus Will Make S.C. an Automotive Research Hub

With $90 million already secured in state and private support, a 400-acre automotive research campus to be developed by Clemson University promises to make South Carolina a hub of the nation's automotive and motorsports industry.

The Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research will house a new graduate engineering education center, distinctive research and testing facilities, and private industry research and development operations that will help support the region's growing automotive industry cluster. The first non-academic tenant on campus, BMW Manufacturing of South Carolina, plans to occupy an Information Technology Research Center to be built adjacent to Clemson's graduate school. The 84,000-square-foot center will support research focusing on improving automotive software systems and software/hardware compatibility for BMW products.

The $15 million facility will be owned by Clemson and leased by BMW. State funding to build the center is part of the state incentive package offered to BMW last year when the company announced an additional investment of $400 million and creation of 400 new jobs over the next several years. Last year, BMW donated $10 million to Clemson to help endow the graduating engineering center.

IBM also announced its plans to form a long-term partnership with Clemson, starting with a first-year commitment valued at $1.1 million. Officials said the commitment includes $750,000 worth of software and the assignment of an IBM executive at the research campus to support the work of Clemson faculty and students.

Clemson plans to recruit nine faculty and up to 50 graduate students, who are expected to generate at least $5 million a year in research support. The graduate programs will focus on systems integration, addressing a growing challenge in the automotive industry as car components become increasingly computerized and complex.

Public and private support for the Clemson project is as follows:

• $10 million gift from BMW to endow the graduate engineering center;
• $5 million in additional private support for the graduate center from other automotive-related industries;
• $15 million in matching funds from the state's Research Centers of Economic Excellence Act, which earmarks lottery revenues for endowed chairs in research areas that can spur economic development;
• $40 million from the state's Economic Development Bond Act to build and equip the graduate engineering center and build the information technology center that will be leased by BMW, pending final state approvals;
• $14 million in state funding for roads and other infrastructure;
• $1.1 million from IBM; and,
• $7 million to be raised by the Clemson University Foundation to purchase land.

The automotive research campus consists of 250 acres of Clemson-owned land and an adjacent 150-acre property that will be privately developed. Eventually, the campus is expected to include unique research and testing facilities, such as an automotive electronics systems lab, crash-worthiness lab, fuels lab with an emphasis in hydrogen-based research, and a full-scale wind tunnel.

The 400 acres of property that will situate the campus reside along Interstate 85 in Greenville, S.C., halfway between Charlotte, N.C., and Atlanta, a corridor that is home to two-thirds of the nation's motorsports racing teams. Two hundred automotive-related businesses and 114 automotive industry suppliers also are located in South Carolina.

In addition, just this week, BMW has asked the state to pay to construct and equip a $17 million development and testing center in Greer. The second research facilty will facilitate joint research between BMW and its North American parts suppliers.

More information on related stories about Clemson's automotive research campus is available at:  http://www.clemson.edu/autoresearch