West Virginia U. to create new research center

DATELINE: MORGANTOWN, W.Va.

West Virginia University will create a 58-acre research campus in South Charleston, W.Va., on property donated by the Union Carbide Group and its owner Dow Chemical Company.

The deal also includes several research laboratories and, most notably, a 125,000-square-foot research building. Dow's entire donation is valued at $25 million. Marshall University and the West Virginia Institute of Technology were both considered for the gift before it was given to WVU.

The research facility, which has been in operation for over 50 years, already houses 800 engineers, chemists and technicians from Bayer, CDI Engineering, Electric Data Systems, Dow and the non-profit research firm, MATRIC, that are currently engaged in various process and product research projects. The University will control around half of the entire facility once it has fully situated itself. Now, only about 30 representatives from the University are tenants in the complex. WVU's portion of the real estate will be known as the Charleston Research Campus once fully operational.

President David C. Hardesty, who has been involved in the project for two years and credits Provost Gerald Lang and John Weete, the vice president for research and economic development, with leading the effort on behalf of the University. "It is our hope that the creation of a research park by WVU in Charleston will draw jobs and dollars to the Greater Kanawha Valley and help to strengthen the overall economy of West Virginia," Hardesty said.

"I would hope that the WVU campus will grow and collaborate research with the companies already present," said Site Leader of Dow West Virginia Operations, Allen Fowler.

The research will focus on cutting-edge coal and energy technologies, said Clifton Dedrichson, business director for Union Carbide.

Dow is also poised to gain from the deal. The donation provides the company with tax relief. It also saves the company the cost of demolishing unused assets and gives them what Dedrichson called "political capital" for helping the state. He also expects WVU to be able to market extended learning through the new facility and predicts that in the coming years, the facility, given its vast real estate, could potentially grow to contain over 2,000 people.

Gov. Joe Manchin is also optimistic about WVU's future at the research facility. "West Virginia University, as a growing leader in the area of higher-education research, is well poised to continue that initiative," he said in a statement. "This is a winning situation, not only for UCC and WVU, but for the state of West Virginia."

(C) 2007 The Daily Athenaeum via U-WIRE