The E. A. Fernandez IDEA Factory is a state-of-the-art facility that fosters innovation, collaboration, and entrepreneurship across disciplines. Located at the heart of the University of Maryland campus, the IDEA Factory is home to cutting-edge research and education in engineering, science, arts, and business. As a signature resource within the Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute, the IDEA Factory also contributes to the technology-driven economic development of the region and the nation.
Through the eyes of a drone, fly around and explore the different spaces in the IDEA Factory.
The $67 million, 60,000 square foot E. A. Fernandez IDEA Factory is the only building at UMD funded entirely by private philanthropy, intending to foster technology innovations and advances through collaboration across engineering, the arts, business, and science.
Learn more about the different spaces students will use to help them develop their solutions to solving grand challenges.
Encompassing the entire first floor and dedicated to student innovation, competition, and entrepreneurship, the center includes a student co-working, design, and fabrication space, a rapid prototyping lab, the Startup Shell, and the xFoundry's Team and Executive Director's offices.
Focusing on teams working to solve significant problems, the Garage will offer space to rotating groups developing prototypes and working to bring them to market.
Equipped with 3D printers and other in-demand gear, the lab joins a community of campus maker spaces that inspired Make:magazine to spotlight UMD as one of the nation's "best maker schools."
A student-run, nonprofit startup incubator founded in 2012 by two entrepreneurial students. To date, Startup Shell has supported over 300 student ventures and provides a network containing over $1B in venture value. It provides students with a 24/7 coworking space with digital and physical resources to found their startups. Examples include credits on Amazon Web Services and DigitalOcean platforms, free file storage on Dropbox, access to IP assistance, and more.
The glass-enclosed café on the second floor is a new spot for the engineering community. Open throughout the week during the academic year from 7:30 am to 5 pm and offering breakfast and lunch, bakery options, and coffee. The café space will serve to accommodate community startups that partner with xFoundry and UMD Diner Services to bring new culinary experiences and technology to the IDEA Factory.
A modular conference room for meetings, ideating sessions, and other events. Since its inception, it has hosted influential external events, such as a roundtable discussion with Congressman Glenn Ivey (D-MD) on ways Prince George’s County can further develop as an innovation hub.
Located on the second floor adjacent to the IDEA Central Café, this outdoor space connects to the Kim Plaza below and is a great meeting point for faculty, staff, and students. It will eventually host the Smart Living Canopy that was designed through an xFoundry competition in collaboration with the Schools of Architecture, Engineering, and Computer Sciences.
This skybridge connects the IDEA Factory to the second floor of the Jeong H. Kim Engineering Building.
Home of the Maryland Robotics Center, this multi-purpose lab hosts motion capture technology, assembly and testing areas, and a range of robots including Spot the robotic dog (Boston Robotics) and Husky (Clearpath Robotics). It also supports capstone projects for the Robotics and Autonomous Systems Minor.
The collaboration space is located in the glow of the IDEA Factory's dichroic glass, allowing students to hang out and study next to the Robotics and Autonomy Lab.
A new home for the Alfred Gessow Rotorcraft Center (AGRC), one of three national rotorcraft centers of excellence. Research in the AGRC includes aerodynamics, flight mechanics, vibrations, structures, computational fluid dynamics, acoustics, and other topics. The lab houses a monorail hoist to haul heavy equipment up from the ground through large double doors on the building’s side.
With state-of-the-art laboratories to isolate delicate experiments, the Quantum Technology Center is where students and researchers focus on translating quantum physics into real-world translational technologies to address some of society's toughest challenges.
Part of the Maryland NanoCenter, the lab houses an atomic resolution aberration-corrected electron microscope with full analytical capabilities.
The IDEA Factory will accelerate the inclusive collaboration that our society needs in order to solve its grand challenges.
Emilio A. Fernandez '69
We extend our sincerest gratitude to every donor who has made the vision of the E. A. Fernandez IDEA Factory a reality.
