Envisioning the Future

Innovista

Innovista is changing the physical landscape of the University in a dramatic way and more importantly the economic landscape and future of South Carolina. An intellectual ecosystem focused on research initiatives aimed at emerging global technologies and knowledge-based businesses, Innovista is a magnet for attracting the brightest minds and most innovative companies in the world to South Carolina.

This innovation district has woven the University into the fabric of the city stretching from downtown to the river and has become a powerful engine for creating higher paying jobs and dramatically raising per capita income in South Carolina. This catalyst for improving the quality of life for South Carolinians is catapulting Columbia and South Carolina into the new economy.

Four priority research areas:

• Future Fuels™
• Biotechnology
• Nanotechnology
• Environmental Sciences

Hydrogen Economy

Innovista and the Future Fuels™ initiative at USC are catapulting Columbia and South Carolina into the new economy – the Hydrogen Economy where the most abundant element in the universe will power cars, batteries, and even space shuttles. Fuel cells will replace most internal combustion engines resulting in lower emissions of the greenhouse gases characteristic of the combustion of fossil fuel resources, and the United States will no longer be dependent of foreign oil for energy.

Facilitated by the Future Fuels™ initiative, patent creation and technology commercialization is paving the way for attracting companies, landing parties and start-ups. Hydrogen and fuel cell related products and services will increasingly be manufactured, sold and consumed in the South Carolina region resulting in more revenue for companies and high paying jobs for the next generation of South Carolinians.

Greater Columbia Fuel Cell District

The Greater Columbia Fuel Cell District is a two mile radius in the city of Columbia integrating hydrogen production sites, storage and distribution locations, education and outreach programs, and multiple end-use applications. By 2009, planners anticipate having a refueling station to distribute hydrogen the same way as gasoline and a water treatment plant to be used as a source of energy with hydrogen by-products. Hydrogen and fuel cells will become primary sources for power in residential, commercial, and entertainment venues.