A $3.95 million state grant will go toward creating a National Security Hub at San Diego State University’s Mission Valley Innovation District, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced this week.
Read more Trump signs order renaming Lake Ontario as ‘Lake America’ in the United States
The funds through the California Jobs First Regional Investment Initiative will back the center’s first phase and is intended to “support the San Diego region’s national security industry via a startup accelerator, investment capital and other strategies,” according to a statement from SDSU.
“This is an important step in fulfilling the dream for Mission Valley,” SDSU President Adela de la Torre said. “The vision was always to link our north star — our students — with jobs that can help them shape the future, and which bring positive economic impact to our state and our community.”
Leaders of the project anticipate creating 200 jobs and connecting SDSU students with internships, mentorship and career opportunities. The National Security Hub will be part of the first buildings within the SDSU Mission Valley Innovation District — a “transformational research and innovation site to foster collaboration between academia, industry and government while creating new economic opportunities throughout the region.”
Read more One Tech Tip: How to keep your child’s tablets, laptops from becoming distractions from schoolwork
The accelerator will focus on technologies ranging from artificial intelligence to quantum computing and more. According to SDSU leaders, the goal of the program over its first two years is to support more than 50 startup and emerging companies.
“This leans into a key area of faculty talent at SDSU, which has been developed over decades of research and application,” said Hala Madanat, vice president for research and innovation at SDSU. “The National Security Hub will more rapidly commercialize new solutions and technologies from leading-edge labs across San Diego by connecting startups, university research, investors, and federal resources that have historically been disparate and difficult to access.”
Initially based within SDSU’s Division of Research and Innovation, the hub will relocate to SDSU Mission Valley when construction is complete.
Read more Michigan Democrats want to fight Trump. First they have to stop fighting each other
