DEPARTMENT: Office of Innovation
DEPARTMENT HEAD: Jose De La Cruz, Chief Innovation Officer
COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: City-wide
SUBJECT:
Briefing by Port San Antonio on the organization's strategic growth plans as a center of innovation and applied technology.
SUMMARY:
Jim Perschbach, President and CEO of Port San Antonio, will provide a briefing on the organization's growth strategy as a center of innovation and applied technology, including plans to spur greater connectivity and collaboration between cybersecurity, information technology and other regional industries.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
The 1,900-acre Port campus has throughout its history been a major platform where military and commercial aircraft and components are modernized. That work continues and has created hundreds of jobs in recent months as the Port’s customers are growing their workloads on an array of platforms to meet 21st-century needs, particularly securing the digital technologies that operate aircraft, prolong operational life and increase connectivity. Along with this robust aerospace expansion is the growth of some of the world’s most sophisticated cybersecurity operations, which are also located on the Port campus. Today over 1,000 cybersecurity professionals work at the Port, anchored by the Air Force Cyber headquarters and several private-sector firms.
Given the parallel growth of these industries and significant global markets for the application of cybersecurity and other information technology innovations to safeguard and create greater efficiencies across many industries, the Port is uniquely positioned to foster greater collaboration between industries on its campus and throughout the region. The technological solutions developed through these collaborations can address innovation needs of global markets, including aviation, energy, medicine, ground transportation, manufacturing, financial services and supply chains-all with well-established centers of talent in San Antonio. There are already several nationally-renowned and locally-based firms advancing this vision at the Port-the integration and application of digital technologies and hardware to support those markets.
ISSUE:
To accelerate this vision, the Port has launched the first phase of Project Tech-a secure, multi-building office space development for advanced technology customers. The first $20 million facility was completed in the spring of 2018 and Lockheed Martin Cybersecurity Solutions is its first tenant. The Port is engaged with additional prospects for the 90,000-square-foot facility and, with continued demand, expects to add new buildings within the Project Tech complex. The City of San Antonio has provided $1.5 million in infrastructure and site preparation assistance for the first building.
In addition to Project Tech, the Port has set its sights on developing an Innovation Center-a multi-building project uniting community partners, educators and industry in a joint effort to fulfill key elements of the Port’s strategic vision as a key economic engine and job-creator for the region. Elements of the Innovation Center include:
• A museum showcasing the history of transformative technologies, particularly those with San Antonio roots, such as personal computing. The museum will deliver programs and work closely with educators to inspire residents throughout the region, especially the young, and highlight how young students can follow educational paths to become part of San Antonio’s next generation of innovators.
• Educational spaces where the Port can partner with the museum, universities, school districts and other educators to support technology-focused learning-from STEM programs for children to advanced programs and certifications to ensure that advanced technology professionals remain current in their skills.
• An e-sports arena that serves as a center of recreation, an event center and an extension of the educational spaces.
• An industry showroom accessible to the public where technologies developed in the region can be demonstrated. This component would provide museum visitors with a forward-looking path connected to the historic exhibits. It will also create greater awareness of the newest technologies developed in San Antonio addressing global needs, hence supporting connections between San Antonio’s innovators with new regional, national and global customers.
ALTERNATIVES:
This item is for briefing purposes only.
FISCAL IMPACT:
This item is for briefing purposes only.
RECOMMENDATION:
This item is for briefing purposes only.