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UW-River Falls initiates design of Science and Technology Innovation Center


April 7, 2020 – The University of Wisconsin-River Falls is among colleges and universities across the country currently engaged in efforts to prevent the spread of COVID-19 on their campuses, but that doesn’t mean UW-River Falls has lost sight of the future.

UWRF campus leaders, faculty and collaborators from business and industry are currently participating in virtual workshops focused on the first phase design process for its Science and Technology Innovation Center (SciTech). The university received $2 million in planning and design funds from the state in June 2019 to fund partial design of the SciTech project.

An essential goal of the workshops is confirmation of the scope of the project as well as more detail of what each space in the facility should feature and how it will perform. Meetings with each department within the SciTech building focused on space and needs of their specific area.

“This is an exciting time for those who’ve been planning and imagining the possibilities,” said Dale Braun, UWRF campus planner. “We are another step closer to bringing SciTech to life.”

The SciTech Collaborators Council, a group of business and industry leaders advocating on behalf SciTech, will help articulate the shared vision for the university/business collaboration space in the SciTech building.

“I’m grateful for the insights of the group that has come together to help define how SciTech can support university-business collaboration and address the talent and economic development needs of our region,” said UW-River Falls Chancellor Dean Van Galen. “These are visionary leaders who see the needs of the future and understand the important role SciTech can play.”

SciTech is critical to addressing outdated science facilities and ensuring UW-River Falls is able to effectively educate students by providing an affordable and high-quality education, by increasing undergraduate research opportunities, and by meeting industry demand in Wisconsin’s high growth industries. The facility will have an impact on the entire campus, serving students from a wide range of majors.

BWBR, an architecture firm based in Madison, will lead a team of consulting architects and engineers for the design of the SciTech project.

For more information, email Braun at dale.k.braun@uwrf.edu or call 715-425-3840. For more information about SciTech, visit https://www.uwrf.edu/SciTech/

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