Knowledge Park Celebrates a Decade of Partnerships, Success
Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, and the Greater Erie Industrial Development Corporation (GEIDC) will host a 10th anniversary celebration of Knowledge Park on Thursday, Oct. 29, at Knowledge Center, 5240 Knowledge Parkway. The program begins at 3:30 p.m. followed by a reception and open house from 4 to 6 p.m.
Dr. Jack Burke, chancellor of Penn State Behrend, and John R. Elliott, president and CEO of GEIDC, will offer remarks during the 30-minute program. The reception and open house are open to employees of Penn State Behrend and Knowledge Park as well as the public.
Dedicated in 1999, Knowledge Park was jointly developed by Penn State Behrend and GEIDC to offer companies an advanced technological infrastructure in an atmosphere that promotes innovation. In the past decade, the park has worked to create, recruit and expand knowledge-based organizations that focus on engineering, information management and science.
“The park was never simply a real estate venture. It brings forward-thinking organizations together with faculty members, staff and students, applied research and technology transfer services,” said Dr. Robert Light, senior associate dean for research, graduate studies and outreach at Penn State Behrend. “The close interactions between park tenants and the college continue to be a key component of this collaborative environment.”
Knowledge Park continues to serve organizations that want to develop knowledge-driven partnerships with other like-minded companies, Penn State Behrend or other institutions of higher education in order to accelerate their competitive advantage.
Currently, Knowledge Park has 14 tenants with a total of 500 employees. Tenants include the Economic Development Corporation of Erie County, Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Central and Northern Pennsylvania, CMI EPTI, LLC, Center for eBusiness and Advanced IT (eBizITPA), Erie Insurance Group, Harborcreek Historical Society, InDeck Keystone Energy, LLC, Jameson Publishing, Panalpina Inc., iMBA—Penn State’s online MBA, Penn State Behrend Early Learning Center, Plastics Services Network, Spinworks LLC, and VertMarkets.
Physically, Knowledge Park spans 200 acres of Penn State Behrend’s campus and includes more than 20 sites for buildings of 40,000 square feet or more.