The following is an excerpt of a State Journal-Register story published on Dec. 7, 2022.
The University of Illinois Springfield has finalized the purchase of a downtown building that will serve as the new home of the UIS Innovation Center.
The center will take over the three-story, 24,600-square-foot Illinois Sheriffs' Association building at 401 E. Washington St.
University of Illinois trustees approved $950,000 for the building purchase earlier this summer.
The Innovation Center is funded by a $15 million state capital contribution through the University of Illinois and the Illinois Innovation Network (IIN), a series of university hubs promoting research, innovation and economic development statewide. The UIS center, part of the IIN, is scheduled to open in 2025 and will drive hub focuses in central Illinois.
"I think this will definitely open up new opportunities for that whole footprint right there," said Springfield Mayor Jim Langfelder.