An expansive and transformative undertaking of programming, placemaking, and partnership that will form the necessary linkages of a thriving innovation ecosystem.
Arlington is emerging as an innovation powerhouse on the world stage. George Mason University’s Arlington innovation initiative will serve as the engine. It’s where tomorrow’s diverse tech workforce will develop the cross-disciplinary skills and community fluency needed to rise to next-level challenges.
George Mason University, already the most prolific conferrer of computer science degrees in Virginia, has committed to producing 7,500 additional graduates in these fields through 2039. Our initiative will expand academic programs, faculty hiring, and student enrollment.
Real innovation often occurs by crossing traditional boundaries of academic disciplines. Our initiative will enable true cross-functional collaboration by engaging students and faculty from policy, law, business, engineering, and more in multimodal lab settings.
The Digital Innovation Headquarters will introduce more than 360,000 square feet of office, lab, and retail space designed explicitly to foster innovation. Our placemaking initiative for the Mason Square campus in Arlington empowers collaboration among Mason’s schools of engineering, computing, law, business, public policy, and conflict resolution.
Truly sustainable innovation must be fueled by diverse perspectives, equitable practices, and community needs. Our initiative actively engages community stakeholders from Arlington and the region with a planned cadence for open dialogue about our activity and direction.
More than just a fancy new building. Fuse at Mason Square is designed to be a lightning rod for new ideas.
Don’t wait to get involved. George Mason’s Institute for Digital InnovAtion is up and running with a cross-functional pilot space that’s already pushing the boundaries of next-gen tech. Autonomous vehicle research. Cybersecurity and systems design. Applications built on a 5G mobile testing bed. Lessons learned from pilot activity will be folded into methodologies and programming throughout the larger Mason Square development. Want to get in on the ground floor? It’s happening at Vernon Smith Hall right now.
I’ve enjoyed working with the Mason team because they are fearless in their ambition to look at what could be and what we can create.
The Institute for Digital InnovAtion (IDIA) is the driving force behind Mason’s vision for Arlington’s future.
IDIA will support partnerships with academic, business, and community stakeholders across all three Mason campuses, structure cross-curricular collaborations on research and technology development, and guide participation by faculty, staff, and students.
Learn More about IDIA
President’s Innovation Advisory Council