UC Santa Barbara will lease a 105,000-square-foot research and development facility in Goleta for UCSB researchers, students, industry members, and startup companies.
Named OASIS, the facility at 71 S. Los Carneros Drive is designed for collaboration between researchers and tech companies to develop new technologies and equipment.
UCSB’s Dean of Engineering Umesh Mishra said at Tuesday’s Goleta City Council meeting that the new facility will allow researchers to expand on the ideas and technologies they discover on campus.
“OASIS is a metaphor that represents the transition across a desert between the discovery of innovation and the delivery of innovation for society,” Mishra said.
UCSB is taking over the lease from Apeel Sciences, which will stay in the building and collaborate with researchers, Mishra told the council.
OASIS will be the home of researching and developing AI devices, quantum computing materials, bio materials, and advanced batteries for electric vehicles and grid storage, according to Mishra.
“OASIS will serve as a home for companies graduating from campus, giving them a place here in our community to keep growing smartly and make an even bigger impact economically,” Mishra said on Tuesday.
Mishra added that the university began looking for a facility a year ago. Moving into an existing laboratory will save the university from having to develop a new facility and allow researchers to quickly begin projects.
“This space provides critical space for collaborative and interdisciplinary innovation, a philosophy that UC Santa Barbara researchers have thrived on and embraced for decades,” Mishra said. “The facility provides a novel opportunity to grow the university’s research footprint, support local businesses and industry, and innovate for societal impact.”
Additionally, Mishra said they expect that the facility will boost the local economy by bringing together researchers and industry partners.
Rachel Segalman, UCSB’s vice chancellor of research, said the space will have high-speed equipment that’s usually not available in academic labs but will help researchers prove concepts and develop prototypes.
“We hope this will benefit both research at UCSB by allowing us to access more parts of the innovation ecosystem while also benefiting our local innovation and entrepreneurship community via a new, exciting route for collaborations and interactions,” Segalman said in a statement to Noozhawk.