The Refinery / UA Tech Park at The Bridges

Abstract

The first vertical development within the UA Tech Park at The Bridges broke ground in early 2020. Kicking off the long-awaited community of innovation with the first building “The Refinery” named such because of its proximity to the talent and bright minds that can be mined from the University of Arizona.

The University partnered with developer Boyer to create a future-focused environment for technology to thrive creating a place that welcomed academia, industry and government organizations to work alongside each other.

The Refinery opened its doors in April 2022 with 50% of the building committed to the University bringing various departments together to provide one central location for tech transfer activities stemming from the University. This is a place for invention development and product refinement. It also serves as the University of Arizona’s innovation and commercialization hub creating one centralized location that bridges resources and accelerates the most promising inventions.

Strategically located in the heart of Tucson, minutes from the University of Arizona, downtown and the airport, The Refinery represents the start of a larger vision coming to fruition. It is part of the long-term plans within the UA Tech Park at The Bridges that include four to five office and lab buildings, research buildings, a news studio, and hotel with meeting spaces for public, private, and academic users. This epicenter will serve as the place where innovation is nurtured and University-founded ideas are connected with companies, developing a streamlined path between idea and impact.