University, city awarded $500,000 grant for incubator project

Southeast Missouri State University and the city of Cape Girardeau were awarded a $500,000 Community Development Block Grant to renovate a building and parking lot as part of the Creative Labs and Industries Incubator program, according to a news release from the university.

Representatives of the Douglas C. Greene Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Southeast broke ground Saturday on the project at 612 Broadway.

Upon completion, the project will house businesses in the creative industries, including architecture, art, design, fashion, film, music, publishing and software, the release said. The incubator will provide a collaborative environment for entrepreneurs to test the markets of products and services, fostering business ideas and creating jobs, according to the release.

The Creative Labs and Industries Incubator will cultivate "creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship by connecting interdisciplinary teams of students, faculty, and practitioners in highly-integrated laboratories to design novel product and service concepts and test business models through a modern commercial marketplace," the release said.

Pertinent address:

612 Broadway, Cape Girardeau, Mo.