The University of Mississippi’s Center for Insight Excellence, or Insight Park, officially opened on Jan. 2 after two years of construction.
Located just west of the Gillom Sports Center in the new round a bout, this new facility was built to help neighboring businesses emerge and grow through university research.
Insight Park caters to both small and large businesses by providing technology and advisory services to help them get started and grow. Tenants can lease space for research and office space.
Jacob Jenkins, the manager of facilities and technical services at Insight Park, explained that the park is broken up into two parts to help companies of various sizes. “Through the Innovation Center, the business incubator helps small businesses that want to be made into big businesses, and the research park is occupied by more established businesses,” Jenkins said.
The Ole Miss community is also able to profit from Insight Park through increased access to equipment and support.
Assistant Director Williams Nicholas emphasized that Insight Park will benefit the faculty and students at the university through research opportunities. “This park was built for our students and our researchers,” Nicholas said. “We want to allow intern opportunities as well as a place where researchers can partner with someone in industry.”
Despite the park having just opened, there have been a considerable amount of tenants and students join the research center so far.
Nicholas said that he is satisfied with the people they have brought in during the past month. “In the five weeks that Insight Park has been open, we have had three businesses lease building space and four UM students join as interns,” Nicholas said.
If these numbers continue to grow, the Insight Park community along with the surrounding area will experience this growth in several ways.
“Serving as an economic catalyst, Insight Park will raise the state’s per-capita income and quality of life by attracting knowledge-based businesses and high-paying jobs. By offering well-designed facilities for corporate and entrepreneurial partners, in conjunction with research expertise and service, clients will benefit from an intellectually stimulating climate,” according to the research park’s website.
The only challenge Insight Park is currently faced with is awareness. It takes a long time to establish a research park. But as word gets out about the park and its opportunities, the research program as well as the Oxford community should flourish.
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