Summer is a slow time for technology companies in Tucson, but the fall is shaping up to be fairly busy at the University of Arizona’s Science and Technology Park.

Home to 32 companies and technology organizations, the park announced the arrival, over the last several weeks, of four companies. Two are clients of the Arizona Center for Innovation and another two are now leasing laboratory space in the park’s campus.

The largest of the four is Dilas Inc., which leased 3,000 square feet, including 1,000 square feet of clean-room space, in the park’s Building 9070. A subsidiary of the German company, Dilas Diodenlaser GmbH of Mainz, the Tucson operation will be manufacturing high-powered diode laser products, primarily for medical system and material processors.

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The second company, Amplimed, is also moving into lab space, leased in Building 9030. The University of Arizona spin-off, founded by doctors Robert Dorr, William Remers and David Alberts is in the process of developing Amplimexon, a possible new anti-cancer pharmaceutical.

Arizona Center for Innovation, an incubator for high-technology companies on the Science and Technology Park’s campus, is the new home for the two other firms, Tech Projects LLC and Zhu Xi Ikkyu Supercomputing, developer of an asynchronous input-output online evaluation system for documents written in English, Japanese and Chinese.

Speaking about the new tenants and the potential market for more, John Grabo, director of marketing and international programs for the park, said “activity is very strong right now.”

Crediting 18 months of activity, behind the scenes, he said the “time in the batters box,” negotiating with technology companies, is now making itself felt, “especially in the information technology sector. We still see photonics and optics maintaining a strong presence in Tucson, but this is a strong time for IT and we’re feeling it here.”

He said advances in information technology, as well as an increasing need to preserve and secure data, could be fueling the growth. “Also, we may be at the point where it’s the next generation,” and that’s the reason for the gain. “Whatever it is, IT is attracting a flurry of activity,” he said.

Unlike the dot-com era in the late 1990s, Grabo said the new information technology companies are affiliated with “strong global names. They’re doing solid, real information technology work with a strong business plan, which makes them an altogether different animal to work with.”

With only 48,000 square feet of available space, out of the park’s 1.9 million-square-foot total, Grabo said they are being selective about which companies become tenants. “We have a very full pipeline right now. So we’re looking for companies that would be a good match for the park.”

Looking for the right kind of companies is what Director Jim Fountain said he is also doing at the park’s Arizona Center for Innovation, as the summer “doldrums” show signs of giving way to increased activity. “There hasn’t been any shortage of companies meeting with the Desert Angels,” he said. “The Angels don’t meet during the summer, but by fall they could be very busy.”

With Tech Projects LLC and Zhu Xi Ikkyu Supercomputing now joining five others in the center, Fountain said they are at the point where they are looking for a second site, “preferably close to or on the campus of the university,” where the student start-up and faculty spin-off companies “can be within easy walking distance.”

“Our capacity here is about 10 companies,” he said. “Since we’re already at seven, we’re close to full. So, more space would be a good thing to have.”

E-mail comments for publication to editor@azbiz.com. Contact Philip S. Moore at pmoore@azbiz.com or at (520) 295-4238.

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