ABOUT US > What We Are

The Tri-Cities Research District is the Pacific Northwest's center of technology invention and advancement. Designated by Washington's Governor as an Innovation Partnership Zone, the Tri-Cities Research District is recognized as a place where people with ideas create technologies that solve problems and produce commercial value – thus is a driving force fueling the region's economic growth.

More than 7,000 workers are employed in the Research District. It is home to the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), a national center for energy and environmental research. A four-year and graduates degree campus of Washington State University (WSU-TC) is located in the Research District providing new technologies as well as a highly educated technical workforce. The Port of Benton, many of the world's largest engineering and construction firms and more than 80 innovative and globally-competitive private businesses are located here to be near customers and to leverage each other.

The physical place is a 1,600-acre mixed-use area located along the Columbia River in Richland, Washington composed of approximately 3.4 million square feet of office, laboratory and light manufacturing space. Key landowners include U. S. Department of Energy, Battelle/Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, the Port of Benton and Washington State University Tri-Cities. Major private-sector property owners include Solaris Group, a large real estate developer, Garlick Enterprises, Energy Northwest, and Western Sintering Corporation, a locally-owned manufacturing company. In collaboration, the owners of approximately 330 undeveloped acres in the Research District created a master plan of facilities, infrastructure, housing and amenities to further develop this resource-rich “live – work – play” community.

The Tri-Cities Research District features several unique facilities. The Applied Process, Engineering Laboratory (APEL) is a 90,000 square foot high technology business incubator. Washington State University's new Bioproducts, Sciences, and Engineering Laboratory (BSEL), is a “collaboratory” with PNNL devoted to the scientific R&D and process engineering for bio-based product manufacturing, particularly of high-value byproducts from bio-based energy production processes. PNNL offers User Facility laboratories for private and public research projects.

The Tri-Cities Research District is a 501 (c) (6) non-profit corporation managed by a 15-member board of directors representing key community partners. This organization ensures that the Research District is the place of choice for today's innovators to create our shared tomorrow. What's Next, Starts Here.