The University of Colorado at Boulder (CU) is a Tier 1 research institution that received more than $280 million in sponsored research awards for the 2008 fiscal year.  In 2007, CU –Boulder received $266 million placing it 13th nationally and 6th among all public universities.

Conoco Phillips (CP) purchased the surplus Sun Microsystems 432 acre campus, Louisville, Colorado in September of 2008.  CP is (12/08) in the process of deconstructing the entire 1.7 million SF of existing buildings to make way for the development of CP’s new, world class training facility and CP’s new state of the art renewable energy research and development facility.  CP describes this project as “iconic”.  Full employment is expected to be 7,000.  This Conoco Phillips facility is 3 minutes from the Colorado Technology Center.

The Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) is a cooperative institute of CU-Boulder and NOAA  that is “a world leader in Environmental Sciences committed to identifying and pursuing innovative research in Earth System Science and fostering public awareness of these processes to ensure a sustainable future environment.

The nation’s Atomic Clock, the most accurate clock in the world, is located 20 minutes from the Colorado Technology Center at Boulder’s NIST facility.

The National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST), a federal technology agency, is located 20 minutes from Colorado Technology Center.  NIST’s mission is “to promote U.S. innovation and industrial competitiveness by advancing measurement science, standards, and technology in ways that enhance economic security and improve our quality of life.

The Colorado Center for Biorefining and Biofuels, (C2B2), a partnership of CU Boulder, Colorado School of Mines, National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Colorado State University, has selected 12 proposals to each receive $50,000 grants through its 2008 seed grant program. "The 12 seed grants awarded by C2B2 will provide a foundation for improved understanding in the field of biofuels," developing new technologies relevant to the commercialization of sustainable biorefining and biofuels processes.

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), located 25 minutes from Colorado Tech Center, is the nation's primary laboratory for renewable energy and energy efficiency research and development.

Boulder, Colorado is the most educated city (#1) in America according to the 11.26.08 edition of Forbes.  30% of Boulderites have bachelor's degrees; 17% have master's degrees; 3% have professional degrees and 5% have doctorates.  Ft. Collins, Colorado 60 miles to the north , home to Colorado State University, ranked 10th.  Ann Arbor was 2nd, Washington D.C. ranked 3rd,  San Jose 4th,  San Francisco was 5th, Southern Connecticut took 6th, Charlottesville was 7th, Durham ranked 8th and Boston was 9th. 

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is located 20 minutes from the Colorado Technology Center.   NOAA manages many large, diverse research programs, including the National Weather Service and the Earth System Research Laboratory, which provides critical information to the nascent Renewable Energy Industry.

NASA awarded a $485 million ($485,000,000) research contract to the University of Colorado at Boulder.  CU at Boulder will lead the orbiting space mission slated to launch in 2013 to probe the past climate of Mars.

According to the Urban Land Institute Denver has one of the strongest real estate markets in the U.S. “The state capital has a major federal government presence, which should buffer job losses,” officials said in a statement. “Steady population growth and broadening diversification of the industry keeps the housing market stable. Mass transit should pay future dividends.”  Other cities on the list were Seattle, San Francisco Washington D.C., New York, Los Angeles, Houston, Boston, Dallas and Chicago.

The National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR)  is located 20 minutes from Colorado Technology Center.   NCAR provides access to high-performance computational and observational facilities, such as supercomputers, aircraft and radar - resources researchers need to improve human understanding of atmospheric and Earth system processes.