Red River Valley Research Corridor
Encyclopedia
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
state of North Dakota
North Dakota
North Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....
. It roughly comprises the corridor along the Red River of the North
Red River of the North
The Red River is a North American river. Originating at the confluence of the Bois de Sioux and Otter Tail rivers in the United States, it flows northward through the Red River Valley and forms the border between the U.S. states of Minnesota and North Dakota before continuing into Manitoba, Canada...
. The Research Corridor is anchored by North Dakota State University
North Dakota State University
North Dakota State University of Agriculture and Applied Sciences, more commonly known as North Dakota State University , is a public university in Fargo, North Dakota. NDSU has about 14,000 students and it is the largest university in North Dakota based on full time students and land size...
(NDSU) and the University of North Dakota
University of North Dakota
The University of North Dakota is a public university in Grand Forks, North Dakota, USA. Established by the Dakota Territorial Assembly in 1883, six years before the establishment of the state of North Dakota, UND is the oldest and largest university in the state and enrolls over 14,000 students. ...
(UND). The corridor was established in 2002 by United States Senator
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
Byron Dorgan
Byron Dorgan
Byron Leslie Dorgan is a former United States Senator from North Dakota and is now a senior policy advisor for a Washington, DC law firm. He is a member of the North Dakota Democratic-NPL Party, the North Dakota affiliate of the Democratic Party. In the Senate, he was Chairman of the Democratic...
in an effort to draw research dollars to the state. Since that year, Dorgan has helped to direct $300 million to research in the corridor.
Research at NDSU
Areas of research at North Dakota State UniversityNorth Dakota State University
North Dakota State University of Agriculture and Applied Sciences, more commonly known as North Dakota State University , is a public university in Fargo, North Dakota. NDSU has about 14,000 students and it is the largest university in North Dakota based on full time students and land size...
include nanoscale science and engineering, microsensors (RFID tags), polymer
Polymer
A polymer is a large molecule composed of repeating structural units. These subunits are typically connected by covalent chemical bonds...
s and coatings, agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
, combinatorial science, and spintronics
Spintronics
Spintronics , also known as magnetoelectronics, is an emerging technology that exploits both the intrinsic spin of the electron and its associated magnetic moment, in addition to its fundamental electronic charge, in solid-state devices.An additional effect occurs when a spin-polarized current is...
. Research at NDSU includes the annual $100+ million dollar NDSU research budget, $78.4 million in annual outlays, $234.9 million in annual direct and secondary impacts, as well as research budgets from other enterprises that are a part of the research park. Many of the research projects at NDSU use federally backed grants, including several from the United States Department of Defense
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
.
The NDSU Research and Technology Park is a 55 acre (223,000 m²) site of innovation and technology; the site sits adjacent to the main NDSU campus. The Research and Technology Park is a public/private partnership between NDSU and private enterprises. As of 2006, the research park employed 511. The park's cornerstone anchor tenant is Phoenix International, a Deere & Company
Deere & Company
Deere & Company, usually known by its brand name John Deere , is an American corporation based in Moline, Illinois, and the leading manufacturer of agricultural machinery in the world. In 2010, it was listed as 107th in the Fortune 500 ranking...
(John Deere) company. Phoenix International develops custom, integrated electronic systems. Other research park facilities include Research 1 (polymers and coatings), Research 2 (nanotechnology), Alien Technology
Alien Technology
Alien Technology is a manufacturer of RFID technology. The company is headquartered in Morgan Hill, California, with a RFID tag manufacturing facility in Fargo, North Dakota, the Alien RFID Solutions Center, in the Dayton, Ohio area, and sales offices in the United States, Europe and Asia. As of...
(microsensors, RFID), the Center for High Performance Computing, the Center for Technology Enterprise, and an NDSU controlled Candlewood Suites
Candlewood Suites
Candlewood Suites is a brand name applied to hotels within the InterContinental Hotels Group .- History :The Candlewood Suites chain was started in 1995 by Jack Deboer, founder of the Residence Inn and co-founder of the Summerfield Suites chain. The first hotel was built on North Webb Road in...
hotel.
Research at UND
University of North Dakota
The University of North Dakota is a public university in Grand Forks, North Dakota, USA. Established by the Dakota Territorial Assembly in 1883, six years before the establishment of the state of North Dakota, UND is the oldest and largest university in the state and enrolls over 14,000 students. ...
include biosciences and medicine, energy
Energy
In physics, energy is an indirectly observed quantity. It is often understood as the ability a physical system has to do work on other physical systems...
and the environment
Environment (biophysical)
The biophysical environment is the combined modeling of the physical environment and the biological life forms within the environment, and includes all variables, parameters as well as conditions and modes inside the Earth's biosphere. The biophysical environment can be divided into two categories:...
, aerospace sciences
Aerospace
Aerospace comprises the atmosphere of Earth and surrounding space. Typically the term is used to refer to the industry that researches, designs, manufactures, operates, and maintains vehicles moving through air and space...
and engineering, and human health and nutrition.
The UND Technology Park is a 55 acre (223,000 m²) research and technology campus on the west end of the UND campus. Facilities at the research park include two business and technology incubators — the Skalicky Technology Incubator and the Ina Mae Rude Entrepreneur Center. Other buildings in the research park include COELSAT (Center of Excellence in Life Sciences and Technology), Ryan Hall, UND Aerospace Foundation office building, the National Weather Service
National Weather Service
The National Weather Service , once known as the Weather Bureau, is one of the six scientific agencies that make up the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States government...
, BioLife Plasma Services, and a Hilton Garden Inn
Hilton Garden Inn
Hilton Garden Inn is a chain of hotels trademarked by the Hilton Worldwide. Hilton Garden Inns are considered to be upscale mid-priced hotels that are designed for both business and leisure travelers. The hotel brand is similar to that of the Courtyard by Marriott brand, a key competitor...
.
In addition to the UND Technology Park, other research institutions at UND include the Energy and Environmental Research Center
Energy and Environmental Research Center
The Energy and Environmental Research Center in Grand Forks, North Dakota EERC is a research, development, demonstration, and commercialization facility recognized as one of the world’s leading developers of cleaner, more efficient energy technologies as well as environmental technologies to...
(EERC) which includes the National Center for Hydrogen Technology, the UND School of Medicine and Health Sciences
University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences
The University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences is the only school of medicine in the state of North Dakota.The school has trained roughly half of the physicians currently practicing in the state. Roughly 20 percent of the American Indian doctors in the United States were...
, and the United States Department of Agriculture
United States Department of Agriculture
The United States Department of Agriculture is the United States federal executive department responsible for developing and executing U.S. federal government policy on farming, agriculture, and food...
Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center.
From now until at least 2010, UND will play host to NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
's Douglas DC-8
Douglas DC-8
The Douglas DC-8 is a four-engined narrow-body passenger commercial jet airliner, manufactured from 1958 to 1972 by the Douglas Aircraft Company...
"Flying Laboratory" research aircraft. The University's agreement with NASA is valued at $25 million. The aircraft's areas of research include tracking pollution
Pollution
Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into a natural environment that causes instability, disorder, harm or discomfort to the ecosystem i.e. physical systems or living organisms. Pollution can take the form of chemical substances or energy, such as noise, heat or light...
, monitoring the hole in the ozone layer
Ozone layer
The ozone layer is a layer in Earth's atmosphere which contains relatively high concentrations of ozone . This layer absorbs 97–99% of the Sun's high frequency ultraviolet light, which is potentially damaging to the life forms on Earth...
, and studying the atmosphere's chemistry.
One feature of the research park is the Center for Technology Enterprise. The Center is a 49757 sq ft (4,622.6 m²). building that serves the needs of entrepreneurial endeavors. The center offers venture capital, networking and technical advice, as well as supply services, among others. The building offers wet and dry labs, tenant space, production/manufacturing areas, as well as internet/computer capabilities suitable for expansive research and development. One of the building's major tenants is the Bobcat Company.