Now that the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has signed an agreement with Michigan State University (MSU) to build the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) on campus, the $550 million project announced in December feels more real.
The agreement, announced June 8, is necessary for the DOE Office of Science to provide money to MSU to design and build the new facility.
Full build out will take 10 years and bring 400 employees and 1,000 users to the region. But planners project hundreds of other related jobs and new businesses in the Capital region.
To prepare for that potential influx of business, the cities of East Lansing and Lansing, the Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce, Lansing Economic Area Partnership (LEAP) and Prima Civitas plan to collaborate in a marketing program to draw scientists and researchers to the area.
“The importance of business leaders and scientists from around the world who will come into the region to conduct research at FRIB should not be overlooked,” says Bob Trezise, president of the Lansing Economic Development Corporation. “Those visitors will generate significant business and economic opportunities for the region.”
Jim van Ravensway, director of planning and community development for the City of East Lansing, concurs.
“We need a long-term marketing strategy that lets potential FRIB employees and their families know about the high quality of life we enjoy in this region.”
Source: Tim Daman, Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce
Gretchen Cochran, Innovation & Jobs editor, may be reached here.
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