UIS Finalizes Purchase of New Innovation Center in Downtown Springfield

By Benjamin Cox on December 6, 2022 at 3:22pm

The University of Illinois-Springfield announced today they have officially completed the purchase of a downtown Springfield building that will be the home of the new UIS Innovation Center.

UIS announced they’ve officially acquired the 3-story 24,600 square foot building located at 401 East Washington Street.

Scheduled to open in 2025, the UIS Innovation Center will serve central Illinois as part of the Illinois Innovation Network (IIN) to drive innovation, economic growth, and workforce development across the state.

The building is set to house a business incubator, Technology labs, makerspaces, and experiential labs, Space for the UIS Center for State Policy and Leadership to collaborate with other policy institutes on research and analytical services, and house local workforce initiatives, professional education experiences, and collaborative space for local agencies to have meetings.

The University of Illinois Board of Trustees approved the purchase of the $950,000 building from the Illinois Sheriffs’ Association at its July 2022 meeting. The development of the UIS Innovation Center is funded by a $15 million state capital contribution through the University of Illinois and Illinois Innovation Network. Design work for the building renovations will soon begin, with groundbreaking and construction scheduled for mid-2024.