Eau Claire Approves Funding for CVTC’s NanoRite Center

The Eau Claire City Council Tuesday, May 23, voted unanimously to provide a $166,667 grant to Chippewa Valley Technical College for construction of a NanoRite Center.

The City Council’s grant was contingent upon approval of like grants from the Gateway Industrial Park Crop. and the Eau Claire County Board. In sum, the three organizations will contribute $500,000 to the center.

“We are grateful and understand the trust placed in us,” said CVTC President Bill Ihlenfeldt.

The NanoRite Center will incubate nanotechnology start-up firms by providing a class-100 clean room, high-end microscopy, and an ongoing supply of talent from CVTC’s Nanoscience Technology associate degree program. The center will also have a focus on microfabrication for medical devices.

Both UW-Eau Claire and UW-Stout are partners in the project and each will house related hardware and offer expertise and degreed talent.

With the $500,000 from the three organizations, CVTC has secured $3.7 million for the construction of the center, to be located at the CVTC Gateway campus on Alpine Drive in west Eau Claire.

The technical college is at work fundraising for about $825,000.

The resolution as passed by the council also stipulates that after five years the city of Eau Claire will be satisfied with the center’s job creation or the amount of the grant must be refunded.

Last week CVTC announced receipt of a $1.5 million grant from the U.S. Commerce Department’s Economic Development Administration. CVTC has also secured another $200,000 from federal appropriations. Last November, Gov. Jim Doyle, in remarks at the Gateway campus, announced a Wisconsin grant of $500,000 for the high technology center. CVTC will need $4.5 to $4.9 million for the NanoRite Center.

Construction on the center could begin as early as this summer, according to Dr. Ihlenfeldt.

Copyright Chippewa Valley Technical College.