BOZEMAN — Two years ago, Pittsburgh-based Aurora announced it was building a 78,000-square-foot facility in partnership with the Montana State University Innovation Campus. The vision came to life at a ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday.
The CEO of Aurora Innovation, Chris Urmson, boasted Montana was the perfect place for the research facility. "We're on the brink of a new era of mobility, and Montana is going to be helping lead the way for that."
Governor Greg Gianforte addressed the crowd at the ribbon cutting.
"According to the High Tech Business Alliance, the technology sector is Montana's fastest-growing industry sector. With about $3 billion in revenue today growing very quickly," Gov. Gianforte says.
The new facility will continue research and development of the company's LiDAR product, a laser radar. The system uses light to detect the distance and velocity of objects around a vehicle.
"Our economic development administration maps innovation across the country; Gallatin County is in the top three of innovation for the entire United States."
Montana State University Vice President of Research and Economic Development Dr. Alison Harmon is pleased to see a non-MSU building on the Innovation campus.
"It's a place that intersects so well with our research at MSU and is a place where our graduates want to work," Dr. Harmon says.
Dr Harmon says Bozeman is cutting-edge.
"Researchers had students; those students were innovative. They spun out company after company, and it's created this amazing innovation ecosystem," Dr. Harmon says.
Dr Harmon hopes to spread innovative research across the state.
"To really share our discoveries, to translate them into commercially viable tools and to have a positive impact, I think, on our communities," Dr. Harmon says.
