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Advantage to Business

 

For business enterprises looking to locate to University Research Park (URP), there are a variety of programs that many businesses will find beneficial to their operational costs; not to mention the caliber of the facilities that are being constructed at URP, the "presence" of being is a business park focused on technology and having the 'right' address (i.e., Research Park Dr., Technology Circle) has been a positive influence on the tenants presently in the research park. The following is an outline of the programs that are available to URP tenants:

 

SmartRiverside

 

SmartRiverside is a non-profit organization that enhances the city’s technology community with programs to assist in the attraction and retention of technology companies and entrepreneurs. Specific programs include the High Technology Tenant Improvement Program to help offset tenant improvement costs for small technology companies and the Employee Relocation & Incentive Program.

 

Riverside Public Utilities

Riverside Public Utilities, which serves more than 102,000 electric and 62,000 water customers in the city of Riverside, has a variety of special Business & Commercial Programs to assist in lower companies’ overhead costs. Among the programs are:

  • Energy Star Rebate Program: Riverside Public Utilities provides cash incentives to its customers who purchase new high-efficiency ENERGY STAR® rated products that use less electricity than standard units of comparable size.

http://www.riversideca.gov/utilities/busi-energystar.asp

  • Energy Efficiency Construction Incentive Program: This program encourages owners and developers to invest in energy efficient designs in new construction, building expansion and many other major retrofit projects.

http://www.riversideca.gov/utilities/busi-construction.asp

 

Additional Advantages

 

Other areas of interest to business enterprises may include:

  • Business Assistance and Resources:   University Research Park is home to the Inland Empire Economic Partnership and Small Business Development Center. Assistance to small, emerging and technology-based businesses are provided at their office located in University Research Park.

 

  • Access to talent/equipment at UCR: The University is always looking to have a relationship with industry. The Office of Governmental, Community and Industry Relations encourages closer links between the University’s research faculty and the Inland Empire ’s growing high-technology business community. By facilitating alliances among industry, our offices match existing and emerging needs of companies with available resources and capabilities of the University. http://www.gcr.ucr.edu/economicimpact.html

Quality internships are also of interest and the University has career placement officers that can assist with this endeavor.

  • Funding sources: The University of California Industry-University Cooperative Research Program (UC Discovery Grant) seeks to accelerate the impact of research on the California economy by awarding grants matched with industry funding on a 1:1 basis. Areas of research supported are biotechnology, communications and networking, digital media, electronics manufacturing and new materials, and information technology for life sciences. http://www.ucdiscoverygrant.org/
 
  • Assistance to minority-owned businesses: The area has a Small Business Development Center, whose weblink is http://www.iesbdc.org.