Columbus will be the site of Ohio’s third so-called “innovation district”, hoping to draw in high-tech investment and jobs. And this one will be a $1 billion collaboration between the state, Nationwide Children’s Hospital and Ohio State University.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine says JobsOhio will invest $100 million, Nationwide Children’s will spend $350 million and OSU will spend $650 million on new research facilities where 25,000 STEM students will graduate over the next decade.
“The Columbus Innovation District is intended to both cultivate and keep these talented employees here in the state of Ohio, making Ohio not just a place to attend college but the place to build ones future," DeWine says.
Lt. Gov Jon Husted says this district will attract people who want to do research on viruses, pathogens, STEM therapies and cancer. When asked if this will be attractive to young people, Husted was emphatic.
“These are absolutely the kind of things that young people are looking for because they want to be involved in the thing that’s the coolest thing to do in the world and that’s what we are creating," Husted says.
The focus of this district is developing gene and cell therapies. Cleveland and Cincinnati already have similar districts – all three aim to each bring in 20,000 jobs and $3 billion in economic impact.
