Staff Report
Published Aug. 9, 2011

The Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research, or CU-ICAR, will open the 60,000-square-foot Center for Emerging Technologies this year.

This center will house dozens of emerging or established companies that will expand and develop technologies to complement research of Clemson faculty and students.

Sage Automotive Interiors, a spinoff company started by former employees of Milliken and Co. who bought the company’s automotive fabric division, 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 CU-ICAR’s success comes 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.”

CU-ICAR has become a model for economic development, according to its 2011 annual report.

CU-ICAR has invested more than $230 million publicly and privately; created more than 500 jobs and will soon create 1,700 more.

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

Since 2004, the CU-ICAR campus has gained 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.

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