Gannon University’s Institute for Health and Cyber Knowledge has been awarded $2 million through the state’s RedevelopmentAssistance Capital Program.
With the RACP grant, the University will conduct renovations to create industry commercial space dedicated to bringing in and housing cyber businesses in Erie, creating new jobs and workforce development opportunities for the region. In addition to 13 additional staff and faculty positions, up to 150 new jobs are anticipated to be created by the project.
“We’re really excited about this project and grateful for this support,” said Gannon University President, Keith Taylor, Ph.D. “We are excited about what it will do to drive job growth and business development – two things Erie needs to keep moving forward.”
“We are thankful to our state senator, state representatives, and the governor for making this possible,” Taylor said.
Gannon’s I-HACK, a six-story, 99,784-square-foot building located in the heart of Erie’s economic district, is planned to serve as a global headquarters for academia and industry to design, integrate and protect cybernetic intelligence and data systems worldwide.
Renovations through the RACP grant will focus on the facility’s top floors dedicated to commercial space and business development, while Gannon will fund renovations of the entry and first two floors to create educational space for its new academic programs in Cyber Engineering and Cybersecurity.
“This investment will help provide Class A commercial space for businesses to grow in Erie, a skilled workforce in cyber engineering and cyber security, a collaborative environment for academics and corporate partners to conduct research and develop products, and promote job growth and investment in the economic fabric of Erie,” said Walter Iwanenko, Ph.D., vice president for academic affairs.
“Gannon University is thankful for the support of the Institute for Health and Cyber Knowledge. We are invested in downtown Erie and committed to our partners who continue to strive to make Erie an incredible place to live, work, learn and play,” Iwanenko said.
In a statement issued by state Sen. Laughlin’s Office, he states, “This is a great investment not only in Gannon University, but in the future workforce for our region since the school plans to use the building for a new Institute of Health and Cyber Knowledge, or IHACK. The skills and training that I-HACK will provide are essential now and their importance will only increase in the future. When IHACK is fully up and running, it will have the capacity to serve 200 students. Those new students are projected to contribute about $2,000 each a year to the local economy.”
This announcement comes shortly after the University received a $402,500 grant to create a super-computing facility within I-HACK that will serve academic, healthcare and environmental researchers across the region with data storage, processing and analysis.
