Construction of a new research and innovation hub has taken its first steps at UC Riverside.
A groundbreaking ceremony for the SoCal OASIS Park on Monday, June 23, was the beginning of the first major project under SoCal OASIS, a UCR-led initiative that stands for Opportunities to Advance Sustainability, Innovation and Social Inclusion.
The program is spearheaded by UCR’s Office of Research and Economic Development with community and industry partnerships that aim to “promote clean and next-generation technology and contribute to the region’s economic growth,” a UCR news release states.
The initiative focuses on six areas: clean energy, agricultural technology, sustainable transportation, natural resource management, community health and human development and workforce readiness.
The project has won more that $65 million in federal and state funds to identify and secure a site to establish the park.
The project, on University Avenue near the campus’ west entrance, is expected to be completed in spring 2027. The 3.44-acre site was home to the UCR Extension Center, a converted hotel. The center offers continuing education and professional studies.
The new facility will be approximately 39,000 square feet and feature labs used by UCR’s Center for Environmental Research and Technology and other partners, maker spaces and collaborative work areas, flexible office space for incubators and startups as well as event and training spaces for UCR Extension.
At Monday’s ceremony, UCR Chancellor Kim Wilcox, who will soon retire after 12 years on the job, called the project exciting.
“We didn’t call it a tech park or a research park because for us it’s much broader than that,” he said. “It isn’t just a place where you do cutting edge research, it’s a place where you make a difference in the community.”
The facility is expected to enhance collaboration with the California Air Resources Board, which built a $420 million laboratory near UCR in 2021 based on the work of the university’s Center for Environmental Research & Technology.
“The SoCal OASIS Hub will greatly enhance collaboration between these two entities, synergizing research and tech transfer efforts focused on clean technologies,” the OASIS website states.
Riverside Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson, a UCR alum, called the park an ambitious and visionary project that will put the city at the forefront of environmental research, innovation and sustainability.
“OASIS will be the training ground for the next generation of scientists, engineers and problem solvers,” she said at Monday’s groundbreaking. “It will open doors for our students, attract businesses, create jobs for our residents, and deliver real solutions to communities grappling with the impacts of climate change. And it all starts right here in Riverside.”
