A groundbreaking ceremony for the Tennessee Entrepreneurial Science and Technology (TEST) Hub at the University of Tennessee at Martin will be held at 11:30 a.m., Feb. 28, behind the Student Recreation Center located at 95 Mt. Pelia Road.
Once completed, the $18.5 million facility will provide hands-on manufacturing engineering education and a regional innovation hub that will support workforce and economic development for future generations. The event is open to the university community and public and will follow the conclusion of the UT Board of Trustees winter meetings in the Boling University Center.
Funded by the Tennessee General Assembly in April 2022, the TEST Hub will be located on the west side of the UT Martin main campus and, in one innovative footprint, combine educational facilities, entrepreneurial centers and manufacturing workshops surrounding a shared industrial maker space. Through partnership with the Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology and Dyersburg State Community College, the facility will offer educational opportunities at the certificate, associate and bachelor’s degree levels, as well as career and technical education opportunities for the region’s high schools.
The TEST Hub will also become the new home for the UT Martin Regional Entrepreneurship and Economic Development Center. The REED Center assists existing and potential business owners through one-on-one consultations and interactive training programs. The center houses the Tennessee Small Business Development Center (TSBDC) and is currently located in downtown Martin.
Parking will be available in the Student Recreation Center parking lot and the lot adjacent to Pacer Pond next to the recreation center. Call the Office of the Chancellor at 731-881-7500 for additional information.
PHOTO: This artist’s rendering of the UT Martin TEST Hub shows the external view of the completed building. The facility is a joint effort by UT Martin, Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology and Dyersburg State Community College to support and expand workforce and economic development in rural Northwest Tennessee.
