Arkansas Research and Technology Park Delivers $346 Million for State
CelluDot is located in the Enterprise Center, one of the buildings on the ARTP campus.
The Arkansas Research and Technology Park gives start-up technology businesses a place to launch. It connects both new and established companies to cutting-edge University of Arkansas research. And it creates a community where entrepreneurs can share ideas.
The research park, a partnership between the U of A and local civic and business leaders, also benefits the state’s economy. Last year, the ARTP generated an economic impact for Arkansas of $346.3 million, according to a report from the Center for Business and Economic Research at the U of A’s Sam M. Walton College of Business.
“Innovative high-tech businesses, both startups and established companies, recognize the value of working closely with U of A’s renowned researchers and students,” said Mike Malone, vice chancellor for economic development.
The report, which covers the academic year 2023-24, also estimates that the economic activity of companies at the ARTP generated $10.6 million in state and local taxes.
The 30 tenants at the ARTP, which range from established leaders in transportation like J.B. Hunt to startups spun out of the U of A’s research into semiconductor manufacturing, employ about 430 Arkansans.
“The U of A builds Arkansas’ workforce not only by educating the next generation of highly trained graduates but also by supporting companies that create good jobs for the state,” said Malone, interim director of the Arkansas Research and Technology Park.
A PLACE TO GROW
When Joseph Batta-Mpouma wanted to commercialize the technology he helped develop as a U of A doctoral student, he decided the ARTP was the best place to launch his business, CelluDot. The startup is a biomaterials-focused company with industrial applications in agriculture and nutraceuticals.
“For us, it was just an organic decision to be part of this campus shared between startups and university labs,” Batta-Mpouma said of the research park.
CelluDot, which now has five employees, offers a solution for agricultural “drift,” when herbicides travel beyond the targeted fields and damage nearby crops or natural landscapes. The company is at the field-testing stage of its technology, which is licensed from a patent held by the U of A.
“If you are just starting out, especially if you are a pre-revenue startup, this is a good place for you to grow,” he said.
The ARTP provides CelluDot with everything from office and conference spaces and internet to a safe, well-regulated lab for R&D. Batta-Mpouma also found a community of fellow entrepreneurs at ARTP who might share lab equipment or offer him advice.
THE VALUE OF THE U OF A
The ARTP is part of the $3 billion in economic impact that the U of A brought to the state through workforce development, applied research and innovation, student expenditures, visitor spending, construction and operations.
Across the state, for example, U of A alumni earn $3.4 billion in wages and pay more than $190 million in state and county taxes. The school itself employs 5,234 faculty and staff. Since 2019, students and alumni founded 107 active businesses, which support more than 300 jobs and generated $52.1 million in economic impact.
The U of A continues to be a vital engine that drives the economy across the entire state of Arkansas.
