Baylor Research and Innovation Collaborative
University partnerships drive innovation and economic growth. The BRIC is an environment where industries, innovators, and entrepreneurs have on-site access to cutting-edge research and scientific talent accelerating the translation of research into new products driving economic growth. At the BRIC, research isn’t confined to a lab. Our faculty and students are working with industry partners to develop new ideas and improve upon existing technologies to help industry partners take their businesses to new heights.
The Baylor Research and Innovation Collaborative (BRIC) is a 330,000 sq. ft. facility that includes more than one dozen labs and many of our ECS faculty and graduate student offices. Many of our undergraduate students also work in these research labs. Listed below are some of the facilities.
Point-of-Need Innovations Center (PONI)
- Multi-disciplinary research is performed using the facilities and infrastructure support of the Point-of-Need Innovations (PONI) Center with over 5,000 sq ft of laboratory space including a 1,500 sq ft ITAR laboratory, the Center for Microscopy and Imaging, and the Materials Testing & Characterization Core (MTCC). The materials processing, testing and characterization facilities and equipment available for this research are remarkable, consisting of a unique combination of tribological, surface analytical, microstructural, and mechanical characterization equipment. The facilities are supported by four PhD level research scientists and technicians.
Nano-Optics & Advanced Health Sensing (NOAHS) Lab
- The NOAHS Lab was founded by Alan Wang, Ph.D., the Mearse Endowed Chair in Biological and Biomedical Engineering at Baylor University, in August 2022 with focus on cutting-edge research in biological photonic materials, nano-photonics, photonic integrated circuits, and optical biosensors. The NOAHS Lab has a total footprint of 4,000 sf with more than 2,000 sf of lab space, which is equipped with state-of-the-art commercial and custom-built instruments to synthesis bio-photonic materials, fabricate, characterize and measure various photonic devices and systems.
Central Texas Cyber Range
- The Central Texas Cyber Range (CTCR) is a joint venture on cybersecurity education and innovation between Baylor University and McLennan Community College. CTCR is bringing its vision to reality through education and training of cybersecurity leaders, transformational applied research, trusted analysis & consulting, and community engagement. The CTCR provides research services by drawing on SME/researcher resources from Baylor University an R1 research institution. Example research areas in this 3,000 sq. ft. facility include: Critical Infrastructure Cyber Resilience (CICR), Baylor Secure Software and Systems (BaS3), and Resilience as a Service Infrastructure (RaaSI).
SIC 'EM Research Group
- SIC’EM has 12,000 sq. ft. of lab and office space with an additional 7,000 sq. ft. more coming online through 2023. The BRIC is optimized for both research and advanced prototyping and has with shared space for research/industry collaborations, workforce training, symposia and community events. The SIC'EM group has dedicated space for materials synthesis, manufacturing, testing and chararacterization, NDE/NDI facilities, high-resolution imaging. SIC'EM hosts Baylor's MTAC (Materials Testing and Characterization) facility, an ISO 17025 accrediated test laboratory.
SMART HUB
- The Hub for Spectrum Management with Adaptive and Reconfigurable Technology (SMART Hub) is a multi-disciplinary collaborative working to solve tomorrow’s wireless spectrum issues today. SMART Hub is developing next-generation technologies for unprecedented spectrum agility, enabling a revolution in how the world uses the wireless spectrum, recruiting and training today’s brilliant students to address tomorrow’s spectrum challenges, and working with translation partners and policy groups to move spectrum innovations out of the lab and into the real world.
Baylor Energy & Renewable Systems Lab
- This high-powered lab at the BRIC is set up to focus on sustainability, including electrified transportation. Led by Annette von Jouanne, Ph.D., the lab features an electric vehicle (EV) test bed and several Navy test beds for the all-electric ship. EVs are tested by driving them up ramps onto the test bed that has rollers allowing the vehicles to be driven through EPA drive cycles to see how they perform. This type of testing is pivotal in developing EVs that can efficiently, effectively and responsibly move us forward to a positive energy future.
The Micro and Nanofabrication Cleanroom
- The Micro and Nanofabrication Cleanroom offers over 1000 sq. ft. of space that houses the equipment necessary to pattern structures and devices at the nanoscale implementing Electron Beam and Optical Lithography. The facility employs engineering professionals to assist users from academia and industry in their research and prototype development. Here, students and researchers create advanced micro/nano devices and structures which will allow for research and development in many areas of nanotechnology including electronic devices, quantum materials, micro-electro-mechanical-systems, nanophotonics, and optical nanomaterials. The Cleanroom is a core facility open to all departments on the Baylor campus. The Kim Research Group is on of the groups utilizing this facility.