ASSOCIATED RESEARCH PARKS, BUSINESS PARKS & DEVELOPMENT CENTERS

Large Federal labs tend to attract private sector research parks and centers.  Often, they are set up by the surrounding communities as economic development initiatives.  In a sense, they can be considered “partnering centers” as companies and programs take root because of collaborative projects with the labs or because new companies spring from technologies coming out of the labs.

There are many examples of parks and centers associated with Federal labs throughout the country.  Some of the parks and development centers adjacent to the labs in the mid-Atlantic region are:

The Applied Research Center
The Applied Research Center (ARC) is the flagship research facility (adjacent to the Department of Energy's Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (Jefferson Lab) in the research park, the Jefferson Center for Research and Technology, in Newport News, Virginia.

 Aberdeen
The Battelle Eastern Science and Technology Center (BEST) is growing near the Army’s Aberdeen facilities.

 Aberdeen Proving Ground
APG has committed to an enhanced use lease agreement to develop the Government & Technology Enterprise (GATE) park within the APG boundaries.  This is intended to be a state-of-art office, R&D, and technology business park with about two million ft² under roof.

 Wallops Island
The Wallops Research Park occupies 200 acres just outside the gate at the Wallops Island facility, a NASA launch site that is also home to Navy and NOAA research units.

 Naval Air Warfare Center – Patuxent River
The 92 acre Patuxent Business Park is located just minutes away. www.patuxentbusinesspark.com

Naval Surface Warfare Center - Indian Head
The planned Energetics Technology Center will be located in Charles County, Maryland near the base at Indian Head. The facility will engage in R&D of energetics systems and related technologies and in workforce development.  www.etcmd.org 

 Fort Detrick
The Frederick Innovative Technology Center, Inc. (FITCI) was set up as an incubator that could interact with the Federal research entities at Fort Detrick.  Currently, most of its tenants have relationships with Fort Detrick.

Fort Belvoir
The Gunston Commerce Center is a new, 107 acre business park designed to house contractors to the government units on Fort Belvoir.

Fort Meade
Recent increases in activities at NSA and other agencies at Fort Meade has stimulated the establishment and rapid growth of the adjoining National Business Park.



Conversely, some Federal labs are moving onto non-Federal research parks, in part to
foster symbiotic relationships with academia and industry.  For example:

• NOAA

NOAA is in the process of relocating itself to M-Square, a Research Park adjacent to the University of Maryland main campus.

• The FDA Center for Food Safety, the USDA Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service are also at M-Square.
   

• USGS

A Water Science Center is being established by USGS on the University of Maryland, Baltimore County Research Park.

• The Goddard Earth Science and Technology Center is also located at the UMBC Research Park