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University Seeks Funding For Creative Labs And Industries Incubator

Jacob McCleland
/
KRCU

A new incubator that will cultivate creative businesses and technologies may soon land on Broadway Street in Cape Girardeau. The project is spearheaded by Southeast Missouri State University’s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and now hinges on receiving $500,000 in federal Community Development Block Grants.

At a public hearing during Monday night’s city council meeting, Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship executive director Dr. James Stapleton said the incubator would be for all sorts of creative endeavors, such art, design, programming and 3D modeling.

He said there aren’t a lot boundaries for who could participate, and added they will actively search for visual artists.

“We’ll be looking for individuals who are graphic designers who might have interest in moving over to this amazing developing area of 3D design and printing,” Stapleton said. “So more of the sort of tech-based or innovative, creative disciplines that can really feed off one another and assist one another.”

Stapleton said the incubator will help the creators or founders work on the quality and development of their products or services. The bottom floor will contain retail space while the top floor of the building will hold the laboratories.

“So whether those are painting studios or a cut-and-sew fashion studio, 3D modeling and design studio, that’s where those individuals are really working on their products and services,” Stapleton said. “The second thing an incubator should do is provide an opportunity for those individuals to start developing a business model around that product and service.”

The Cape Girardeau City Council passed a resolution at Monday’s meeting to support the university’s application for the federal Community Development Block Grant. The university would provide a $300,000 match to go along with the federal grant.

The incubator would be at 612 and 616 Broadway, and the upper floor would hold laboratories while the bottom floor would boast a retail space for the incubator’s businesses.

The Creative Labs and Industries Incubator may open as soon as fall 2014.
 

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