Regional Partnerships

For information on any of the regional partnerships listed below or on potential contractual arrangements, contact Gary Gilmartin (865.241.1790).

Tennessee Valley Corridor

Y‑12 has been an active participant in the Tennessee Valley Corridor regional partnership since its formation by Tennessee Congressman Zach Wamp in 1995. That year the first summit of the partnership was held in Oak Ridge. The mission of the partnership is twofold: to promote the Tennessee Valley Corridor as one of the nation's premier science and technology centers and to leverage the Valley's abundant research and technology assets and institutions for maximum regional economic development and new job creation.

The technology-rich corridor runs from North Alabama through East Tennessee into Southwest Virginia and Southeast Kentucky. In addition to collaborations between various Valley institutions, one of the ways that the partnership achieves its mission is through regional economic summits.

The Tennessee Valley Corridor Summit will return to Oak Ridge on May 27–28, 2009, at the Y‑12 National Security Complex’s New Hope Center.

Innovation Valley Nano Alliance

The mission of the Innovation Valley Nano Alliance, led by Technology 2020, is to leverage the tremendous research resources and institutions of the East Tennessee region to establish it as one of the premier nanotechnology research and commercialization hot spots in America. To achieve that goal, Y-12 joins with other founding partners such as the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, The University of Tennessee, and Jobs Now! to…

• Market the region’s research capabilities to a national and international audience of government agencies, businesses, and entrepreneurs
• Attract more nanotechnology research dollars to the region’s research institutions
• Establish new intellectual property and patents
• Encourage and support the formation of new nanotechnology companies
• Facilitate local industry’s examination and adoption of new nanotechnology applications
• Serve as a focal point to help recruit nanotechnology companies to the east Tennessee region