Cal Poly Technology Park FAQs

• What resources will be available to companies in the technology park?

• If my company is a tenant (or partner) in the technology park, will the University claim rights to intellectual property developed there?

• Must companies establish a relationship with the university to become tenants in the technology park?

• Will the technology park house a start-up business incubator?

• What kind of bandwidth is and will become available on campus and to partners in the technology park?

• Will companies in the technology park have access to government grants?

• Will the technology park focus on a particular industry sector?

• How much space will be available?

• When will the park be available for occupancy?

What resources will be available to companies in the technology park?

The extensive resources available to Technology Park tenants include:

• Right-sized, affordable facilities and market-rate leasing costs

• Opportunities to collaborate with world-class Cal Poly faculty, who have a strong focus on applied research and an interest in collaborating with industry

• Relationship manager to help identify highly qualified student part-time and temporary workers, interns and future employees

• Access to a network of local business professionals to assist companies in locating investors, financing and business services and basic business functions such as accounting, and human resources.

• Shared support facilities (conferencing)

• Access to campus services (fee based) for IT support, graphic design, copy and printing, web design and hosting, and catering.

• Access to usability test facilities, rapid prototyping laboratories and other university resources (fee based).

Access to specialized university facilities will benefit companies in several industries:

• Companies who need to perform rapid prototyping or design for manufacturability can take advantage of Cal Poly resources such as the Guidant Rapid Prototyping Laboratory.

• Companies developing Java-based applications can make use of the Cal Poly Java Center Projects Lab, established by a cooperative effort between Cal Poly and Sun Microsystems. In addition to supporting courses in Java programming, the lab provides support for student and faculty projects.

• Companies conducting research in networking can leverage the Cisco Network Lab, a $1 million joint effort by Cisco Systems and Intel Corporation.

If my company is a tenant (or partner) in the technology park, will the university claim rights to intellectual property developed there?

The university will not claim rights to intellectual property developed by a company in the technology park. If a company in the park chooses to enter into a contractual relationship with the university, under which faculty carry out research for the company in the university, the university's intellectual property policy would apply to any IP developed through that contract.

Must companies establish a relationship with the University to become tenants in the technology park?

Yes. The university will require a commitment from the companies in the technology park to develop ties with specific departments/colleges. The nature of this relationship may vary depending on the company.

Will the technology park house a start-up business incubator?

Initially, the technology park will set up offices for small businesses, but will not operate an incubator facility. Plans for an incubator facility will be considered after the park is in operation.

What kind of bandwidth is and will become available on campus and to partners in the technology park?

• High-speed Internet access that is typically only found in large metropolitan areas

• Potential remote access (based on appropriate use conformance) to mainframes, electron microscopes and other resources at all major universities

Will companies in the technology park have access to government grants?

Universities are eligible for federal and state grants and contracts not available to the private sector. Often, private companies can partner with the university on these projects. In addition, many federal programs are specifically designed to assist small businesses in developing new technologies or to encourage partnerships between universities and private industry.

Will the technology park focus on a particular industry sector?

The technology park is expected to attract companies from several industry sectors. Cal Poly’s strengths in certain technologies, combined with the availability of resources offered by the university and the technology park, are expected to draw tenants from the following industry areas:

• Advanced materials, polymers and coatings

• Aerospace technologies

• Agricultural and environmental biotechnology

• Computer and software engineering

• E-learning software and e-business applications

• GIS applications in agriculture and biology

• Nano- and micro-technology

• Rapid prototyping

• Telecommunications and photonics technologies

• Transportation engineering

How much space will be available?

The technology park will begin with a building of 25,000 square feet, with 20,000 square feet of leaseable space. Feasibility for future buildings will be considered after the pilot building has been proven successful.

When will the park be available for occupancy?

Initial occupancy is expected in Spring 2010.