Technology

 
Advanced Technology Assets

Technology Access

Technology Resources

The Knoxville-Oak Ridge region is rich in technology resources, from the unsurpassed human capital with thousands of Ph.Ds  in the region, to the vast technology infrastructure found at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and at the University of Tennessee, the state’s research university located in Knoxville.. 

Some of the fastest computers in the world are the latest additions to East Tennessee’s long list of world-class resources that drive today’s exciting business sectors: energy, high-performance computing, neutron science, advanced materials, biological systems, and national security.

Since the early days of the Manhattan Project in the 1940s, some of the smartest people in the world have convened in East Tennessee to tackle our world’s most challenging problems.  In the process, innovations reign supreme. and the business climate thrives as hundreds of start-up companies transfer new ideas into commercial ventures.

Business Climate

• Attractive state, local, and utility incentives for new job creation and capital investment
• Regional taxes ranking among the nation's lowest
• No state property tax
• Competitive corporate taxes
• Available targeted jobs tax credit
• Pro-business environment
• Favorable business tax climate consistently in the top 1/3 of U.S. states
• Electricity reliability at 99.999% for past 10  years
• Building costs 19% below the national average (RSMeans Construction Index 2010)
• Competitive lease rates
• Right-to-work state

Talent

• University of Tennessee provides oversight of more than 50 research centers and partners with Oak Ridge National Laboratory in five joint institutes
• 65,000 college and university students from the University of Tennessee and a dozen other four and two-year colleges
• An underemployed adult workforce in technical and professional positions
• Average wage 8% below the national average (BLS, 4th Q 2010, ETEDA)
• Competitive workers compensation rates
• Customized workforce training

Accessibility

• Major regional airport with more than 140 flights daily to 22 major U.S. destinations
• Located at the juncture of three major interstates I-40, I-75 and I-81
• 70% of the U.S. population within a day's drive
• Designated U.S. Customs Port of Entry and a Foreign Trade Zone

Technology 

• Home of the Knoxville-Oak Ridge Innovation Valley Technology Corridor
• Two research business parks
• State-of-the-art telecommunications capabilities comparable to the Silicon Valley and Research Triangle
• Advanced communications infrastructure available to companies in the region, including a wide-range of affordable and competitive broadband connectivity options (Fiber Optics, Cable, DSL, ISDN).
• Ready access to world-class technical expertise and technology transfer
• Home to ORNL’s 16 world-class user facilities, the Y-12 National Security Complex, Tennesse Solar Institute, National Transportaition Research Center and Oak Ridge Centers for Manufacturing Technology