Spartanburg Community College has been awarded more than $1.15 million in public and private funding to expand workforce training, innovation infrastructure and economic development, the college announced Jan. 6.
The bulk of the funding is in support of a new state-of-the-art clean room facility at SCC’s Spark Center in Duncan and aimed at expanding innovation in life sciences.
The college has received $776,200 from the state Department of Commerce through its Site Enhancement Initiative to develop the clean room. That funding adds to $247,500 the college received from the Appalachian Regional Commission to advance life sciences manufacturing ventures that require controlled environments.
An additional grant of $127,500 from Piedmont Natural Gas will help cover ancillary costs associated with developing the clean room.
SCC’s Spark Center provides more than 400,000 square feet of adaptable space in support of business expansion and innovation.
The college anticipates the clean room project will support the creation of three new life sciences businesses with an additional six companies expected to make use of the clean room facility within the first three years of its operation. The clean room will also expand experiential learning opportunities for SCC students through providing real-world training in regulated environments.
