FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 12, 2011
For more information please contact: SCRA Micki Howard 843.760.3329 office 843.697.9226 mobile micki.howard@scra.org
SCRA Announces New Innovation Center Tenant Nitek, Inc. Will Lease Space at the SCRA USC Innovation Center in Columbia, SC
Columbia, SC – August 12, 2011 – SCRA today announced its newest tenant company, Nitek, Inc. The company, a world leader and pioneer in deep Ultraviolet-LED lamp technology, was launched in early 2007 with the goal of commercializing innovative micro-devices using III-Nitride technology. They will lease space in the SCRA USC Innovation Center located in Columbia, SC.
Nitek, Inc. is a spin-off of The University of South Carolina's (USC) Photonics and Microelectronics Laboratory (PML), which was started by USC professor, Dr. Asif Khan in 1997. PML was formed as a small-scale, vertically integrated manufacturing facility for UV emitters, high power electronics and visible LEDs and lasers. Nitek, Inc. has sole and exclusive licenses to all Intellectual Property from the PML and USC remains a partner through an equity stake in Nitek, Inc. The company is a pioneer in the field of III-N semiconductors with special emphasis on manufacturing deep UV light emitting diodes, UV laser diodes, high-voltage high- power electronics and next generation novel material substrates, such as, high quality AlN and AlGaN.
Leading the company as CEO is Ms. Rubina Khan and as an exclusive adviser and consultant, Dr. Asif Kahn, a Distinguished Professor of Engineering and the Director of Photonics & Microelectronics Laboratory at the University of South Carolina. The company will initially employ around 14 high-tech, high-wage employees. The number of employees is expected to double in the next three years.
"We are excited to utilize space in the SCRA USC Innovation Center," said Nitek, Inc. CEO Ms. Khan. "The close proximity to USC's engineering school and their affiliation with the university makes it an ideal location for our operations. We look forward to continued successes and growth, and the Innovation Center will be an asset to our company."
The SCRA USC Innovation Center is the one of three high-tech facilities that SCRA has built in conjunction with its university and civic partners in South Carolina to grow the Knowledge Economy. With these Centers, SCRA has fulfilled legislative requirements identified in the Innovation Centers Act, which focused on the commercialization of new knowledge-based discoveries. The SCRA USC Innovation Center is currently leasing space and is ideally located for technology businesses and includes access to an industry quality clean room.
About SCRA http://www.scra.org
SCRA is a global leader in applied research and commercialization services with its headquarters in South Carolina. SCRA has a dual mission:
In support of both missions, SCRA builds and manages research facilities that include wet labs, secure rooms for sensitive work and advanced, high-tech manufacturing shops.