A runaway success: CU-ICAR publishes 2011 annual report

GREENVILLE, SC – August 8, 2011 – In less than a decade, the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR) has become a model for economic development.

The fabric of CU-ICAR’s award-winning business model is laid out in the 2011 annual report — available free at http://www.cuicar.com/report.

The performance of CU-ICAR speaks for itself: more than $230 million in public and private investments, more than 500 jobs created and another 1,700 on the way. It’s also a place where the brightest minds learn and develop through advanced degree programs.

And it’s the people who are at the heart of CU-ICAR, said Clemson University President James F. Barker.

“It’s the faculty, students and industry researchers who collaborate every day at CU-ICAR to develop safer, smarter and more efficient transportation systems,” Barker said.

Since 2004, the CU-ICAR campus has garnered 19 corporate partners, 30 research partners and 775 employees across 760,000 constructed square feet.

BMW Manufacturing Co., CU-ICAR’s pioneering private sector partner, invested state economic development incentive funds to build the BMW Information Technology Research Center and the Carroll A. Campbell Graduate Engineering Center.

This year, CU-ICAR will open the 60,000-square-foot Center for Emerging Technologies, where dozens of emerging or established companies can expand and develop technologies that complement research of Clemson faculty and students.

Sage Automotive Interiors, a spinoff company started by former employees of Milliken and Co. who have purchased the company’s automotive fabric division, has signed a lease for approximately 16,000 square feet of space in the center.

Bob Geolas, CU-ICAR executive director and associate vice president for economic develop at Clemson University, said the success of CU-ICAR stems from its business model.

“We operate as a community,” Geolas said. “We help companies make connections and build relationships. We leverage the Clemson and existing partner networks to build bridges and open doors.

“The success of CU-ICAR is a direct reflection to the success of its partners,” he said.