ECONOMY
Could a new campus near Sandia keep young talent in New Mexico?
CAMINO Collaborative would bring training, research and manufacturing hub to vacant APS land
A new advanced manufacturing campus could come to unused Albuquerque Public Schools land in the Sandia Science & Technology Park 鈥� a project its backers say could reshape New Mexico鈥檚 economic future.
Stakeholders, including Central New Mexico Community College President Tracy Hartzler, envision the project including more than 300,000 square feet of buildings where advanced energy and technology students, researchers, entrepreneurs and employees can learn, experiment and commercialize cutting-edge technology.
The proposed campus, built with money from public-private partnerships, will help address one of New Mexico鈥檚 bigger challenges: Providing high-paying careers for youth who are prone to leave the state for better opportunities.
The effort also aligns with how state officials are trying to shape New Mexico鈥檚 economy by doling out tax credits, grants and awards to technology and energy startups. Late last month, Pacific Fusion, an advanced energy company, broke ground on a $1 billion research and manufacturing campus in Albuquerque 鈥� a project supported in part by public money.
Officials involved in the project have an ambitious vision to create an entire ecosystem for advanced energy and technology manufacturers. Its location near Sandia National Laboratories and Kirtland Air Force Base is key to achieving that goal, CNM officials say.
Spread across three dozen acres near Eubank and Gibson SE, officials want to build more than 300,000 square feet of buildings, including a CNM training center, a lab and manufacturing facility, and a site where students, startups and small manufacturers can work with Sandia鈥檚 experts and equipment, Julie Heinrich, CEO of Heinrich Consulting Group and a strategic adviser to the project, wrote in an email.
CNM spokesperson Brad Moore said the total estimated project cost for CNM鈥檚 training facility at the site is $35 million. Officials said the CAMINO Collaborative project could also benefit from funds in a $351 million higher education bond that will appear on the November ballot.
Other funding sources, such as from Sandia, have not yet been determined. It is unclear when the project will break ground.
The project has been months in the making. At an APS Board of Education meeting in early August, board members unanimously to declare the nearly 37 acres of in southeast Albuquerque as surplus land 鈥� paving the way for that lease.
APS officials also hope their students will one day use the campus. Antonio Gonzales, APS deputy superintendent of operations, told the school board Aug. 5 that 鈥淎PS and CNM have developed a shared vision for this project.鈥�
鈥淚t includes STEM learning opportunities for APS students, giving them hands-on experience and a direct path to college and careers,鈥� Gonzales said.
The center would also be a regional hub for workforce development and support economic growth throughout Albuquerque and New Mexico, Gonzales said.
鈥淪imply put, we believe this collaboration can help 鈥� in keeping our young people in Albuquerque,鈥� he said.
Heinrich said the project will create a place where 鈥測oung people in New Mexico can see a future for themselves in the frontier industries that will define the 21st century.鈥�
鈥淲e鈥檙e ready to make things again in this country, and New Mexico is ready to lead,鈥� Heinrich said.
In February, Sandia held a for a separate project called CAMINO 鈥� short for Center for Advanced Manufacturing and Innovation 鈥� to support the design, prototyping and manufacturing of components essential to the nation鈥檚 nuclear security enterprise mission.
Sandia officials are developing a memorandum of understanding with CAMINO Collaborative stakeholders, including CNM, to focus on 鈥渉ow the Collaborative鈥檚 vision could align with Sandia鈥檚 national security mission,鈥� spokesperson Darrick Hurst said.
Eric Truitt, co-founder and CEO of Mantis Space 鈥� a startup that chose Albuquerque for its facility to manufacture components for a laser-based power grid in space 鈥� said the company could set up an office on the campus.
Mantis, Truitt said, wants to invest in workforce opportunities, education and training in the state. The CAMINO Collaborative could offer children in the state a way to interact with cutting-edge technology, thereby giving them a vision for their futures.
鈥淔or children, and especially anybody in the K-12 system, the ability to reach out and touch something has such a massive impact because it feels real,鈥� he said.
Justin Horwath covers tech and energy for the Journal. You can reach him at jhorwath@abqjournal.com.
