IU students working to promote Bloomington Certified Technology Park

Recent visitors to downtown Bloomington may have noticed some changes north of the Showers Building, where the Indiana University Food Services building and Publications Plant used to stand. Most of the 12-acre site, which IU sold to the City of Bloomington in 2011, has been cleared for an ambitious redevelopment into a Certified Technology Park (CTP).

The project aims to create an Innovation District to foster the development of high-tech firms and other startup businesses. The concept of an Innovation District is based on creating a physical environment that leads to enhanced opportunities for knowledge workers to interact and share information, which leads to synergies and more rapid innovation.

The Innovate Indiana staff is supporting the city’s efforts to redevelop the CTP by connecting student service learning projects to it this spring. These projects, undertaken by three upper-level, undergraduate classes, will help the City and the Bloomington Technology Partnership promote the Tech Park:

• A graphic design studio from the Henry Radford Hope School of Fine Arts and a marketing class from the Kelley School of Business. Both the graphic design and marketing students will develop branding materials such as logos, infographics and other visuals that can be used to help promote the Tech Park.

• An interior design studio from the Department of Apparel Merchandising and Interior Design. The students will work with the Bloomington Tech Partnership to develop architectural layouts and renderings for the Dimension Mill, a historic building on the site that could be used for tech offices and coworking space.

The partnership between IU and the City of Bloomington to develop the Tech Park dates to 2004. IU’s Vice President for Engagement Bill Stephan served as a member of the advisory committee that guided the development of the CTP Master Plan. IU also serves as the City’s academic partner for the CTP, a requirement under the state CTP statute.

Successful development of the CTP will aid the growth of high-tech firms in Bloomington; grow the market for IU grads and students to find jobs and internships in Bloomington; and promote IU’s interests in continuing to lead in the areas of informatics, computing and entrepreneurship.

Look for more information about the CTP branding initiative later this spring. For more information about the CTP, visit the City of Bloomington’s CTP website.