​New City-University Partnership Advances Richardson’s Innovation Vision

The City of Richardson has taken a major step towards positioning itself as the premier tech hub in Texas.  The City and the University of Texas at Dallas are partnering to create The IQ®@ 1302,  a new space that will support Richardson’s start-up community and advance innovative UT research.    

The effort was born from a 2018 visioning study led by Interface Studio in partnership with Ninigret Partners and Big Red Dog.  The study examined how the City could re-imagine a 1,200 acre district known as the Telecom Corridor, once the epicenter of the telecom broadband revolution and now rebranded and positioned as the City’s Innovation District.  Richardson has taken several actions to realize this vision and the partnership with UT-Dallas, one of the fastest growing universities in the nation, will accelerate the work.  

Highlighting the potential to accelerate new tech based innovations, the visioning study called for more shared innovation space as well as stronger partnerships between the City and the University; both of which will be achieved through this new endeavor.

The 27,500 square foot space will accommodate a mix of complementary uses:

• 10,000 square feet will be dedicated to UT’s Venture Development Center and Center for Emergent Novel Technology at the Innovation Quarter;
• 3,000 square feet will be used for programming, networking and event space;
• 7,000 square feet will be set aside for future expansion opportunities; and
• The balance will house the City’s Office of Strategic Initiatives, which coordinates the 1,200-acre Innovation District.

Construction on the space is set to begin this summer and a projected opening of February 2022.