City of Chandler announces new ASU Chandler Innovation Center

Chandler Mayor Jay Tibshraeny has announced a new partnership that will bring a dynamic Arizona State University presence in engineering and technology education and research to downtown Chandler. The news came during the Mayor’s State of the City Address on Tuesday, Feb. 7, in the City Council Chambers.

The ASU Chandler Innovation Center is an alliance between the city and ASU’s College of Technology and Innovation at the ASU Polytechnic campus. The center will be located at the city’s former public works yard, located at 249 E. Chicago Street. 

“This is a very leading-edge program that ASU has developed and fits perfectly with what we want to accomplish in Chandler,” Mayor Tibshraeny said. “The center will cement Chandler’s reputation as a high-tech center of industry and will provide students and local companies the opportunity to collaborate on new technologies under one roof."

“This is an important step in the evolution of the relationship between Arizona State University and the City of Chandler,” said ASU President Michael M. Crow. “The ASU Chandler Innovation Center will house world-class teaching and research programs from ASU’s College of Technology and Innovation. It will benefit the residents of Chandler who want to take classes closer to home or to their place of employment and make the city an even more attractive location for high-tech industries.”

Chandler Innovation Center consists of three elements:

• multi-purpose engineering and technology learning studios;

• access to ASU Online courses and degrees with assisted learning; and

• "Proof of Concept” labs to support open innovation and technology development.

Mayor Tibshraeny added that the new site will bring new energy to the downtown with students working virtually around the clock on projects, and he thanked ASU for reaching out.

“Dr. Crow and his staff have been instrumental in working with Chandler to bring a forceful new presence to downtown,” he said. “The innovative work to be performed here complements our goal to be an essential player in today’s dynamic global economy." 

Renovation work on the site is expected to start at the beginning of April. ASU estimates that 100 students will be on site when the facility opens with as many as 1,000 students in the program at full capacity.