MetroWest business leaders, state officials and local entrepreneurs gathered outside the Jonathan Maynard Building in Framingham on April 22nd to celebrate the grand opening of FSU’s Entrepreneur Innovation Center.

“MetroWest is the perfect location for a center like this one, to assist in the birth of new companies and new opportunities for students to learn what it takes to launch a business,” Massachusetts Commissioner of Higher Education Richard Freeland said. “The timing is perfect for a public campus such as Framingham State to raise its profile as a center for innovation.”

The Center launched in January to serve as a resource to aspiring entrepreneurs in the region as well as student interns in the Economics and Business Administration, Computer Science and Communication Arts departments. There are currently six entrepreneurs and seven student interns working out of the facility. This includes entrepreneur Raghu Nandan, who is launching Soltrix Technology Solutions, Inc., which provides custom software design and development services.

“The center has been a valuable resource for me already and I look forward to being a part of it for a long time to come,” Nandan said.

Framingham State’s Entrepreneur Innovation Center is the first to open in MetroWest between Hopkinton and Waltham. It is directed by Dr. Robert Krim, a MetroWest native who also oversees the University’s Entrepreneurship concentration. Dr. Erastus Ndinguri, an assistant professor in the Department of Economic and Business Administration, serves as Assistant Director of the Center.

“This center is a terrific new addition to our community,” said Bonnie Biocchi, executive director of the MetroWest Chamber of Commerce. “It’s going to provide fabulous support to the entrepreneurs in our region.”

The center provides local entrepreneurs space to work on their innovative business ideas and access to FSU student interns and faculty. It’s an exciting resource that stands to benefit the entire community.

“Rarely does a University get to start a program like this where so many of our different constituents benefit,” FSU Interim President Robert Martin said. “The University benefits, our students benefit and the MetroWest economy benefits.”

Others in attendance at the opening ceremony included State Treasurer Steve Grossman, Legal Sea Foods President and CEO Roger Berkowitz, State Rep. Tom Sannicandro, and several officials from the Town of Framingham. Students working in the center gave tours of the facility prior to the ribbon-cutting.