The University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) announced today that three new tenants have agreed to move into the second building in bwtech@UMBC, the university's on-campus research and technology park. The new arrivals include the award-winning information technology firm BDMetrics, Inc.; the $148 million NASA Goddard Earth Sciences and Technology Center; and all UMBC departments related to technology transfer and entrepreneurship education.

BDMetrics has leased approximately 7,000 square feet of office space in the recently completed, 60,000 square-foot, multi-tenant facility developed by Grosvenor. BDMetrics, which provides software and services to aid technology companies with business development, was previously located at techcenter@UMBC, the university's high-tech business incubator. Earlier this year, BDMetrics was named the Best New Incubator Company by the Maryland Business Incubation Association.

"UMBC's wealth of brainpower and convenient location makes bwtech@UMBC an excellent place to grow our company," said Rick Geritz, CEO of BDMetrics. "UMBC is a thriving, entrepreneurial institution that embraces collaboration with business, which makes it an attractive environment for nurturing cutting edge technologies."

The Goddard Earth Sciences and Technology (GEST) Center -- a $148 million, 10-year research collaboration with NASA-Goddard Space Flight Center to study the atmosphere, oceans and climate change -- is the second addition to the building. GEST is one of four major NASA-related research centers -- along with the Joint Center for Earth Systems Technology, Center for Advanced Studies in Photonics Research and the Joint Center for Astrophysics -- at UMBC, which is ranked 16th nationally in NASA funding. Elements of JCET will share office space with GEST in the new building.

All UMBC departments engaged in technology transfer and entrepreneurship education will also move into the new building, including the Alex. Brown Center for Entrepreneurship.

"This proves that our campus commitment to economic development is serious and strong," said Ellen Hemmerly, executive director of the UMBC Research Park Corporation. "We hope it will also make it more likely for future research park tenants to emerge from the growing number of bioscience tool and service firms located in techcenter@UMBC," Hemmerly said.

bwtech@UMBC is being developed by Grosvenor, one of the largest private real estate companies in the world with a global property portfolio of $7 billion. The park's 62,000 square-foot first building has been leased by the information technology firm RWD Technologies since 2001.

UMBC's research park and incubator have received public and private sector funding from the Maryland Economic Development Corporation, the State of Maryland, the City of Baltimore, Baltimore County, the U.S. Department of Commerce, The Abell Foundation, and the Maryland Technology Development Corporation. In 2003, bwtech@UMBC became part of Baltimore County's Southwest Enterprise Zone, making companies moving to the park eligible for credits on real property and income taxes, as well as credits for creating new jobs.