NATCHEZ &045;&045; Officials at Alcorn State University are teaming with local leaders to create a high-tech industrial park aimed at attracting investors and providing better job opportunities for younger workers.

&uot;We have to start thinking in terms of a new economy for the region &045;&045; one that centers around bringing high-end jobs to the area while retaining our human capital,&uot; ASU President Clinton Bristow said.

ASU will use a $900,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Labor to fund the first phase of the project.

Bristow said he discussed the idea last week with Natchez Mayor Phillip West and other local officials.

&uot;The first part of the grant is the opening of a facility in Natchez where people can see our conceptual model and get some individual training in computer skills,&uot; Bristow said.

ASU and local officials will also use the Natchez facility to make presentations to potential high-tech industrial park investors, Bristow said.

&uot;We’ve already located a building and purchased the software. We have all the components ready for the first phase,&uot; he said.

Bristow said he and West would soon announce the location and timetable for the Natchez center’s opening.

Meanwhile, groundbreaking for the high-tech industrial park is expected in the next three to five years, Bristow said.

&uot;We’re in line for a $3 million grant to establish the business incubator,&uot; said Bristow, who likened the project to a similar venture in the Golden Triangle area of northeast Mississippi.

Bristow said the university would use its resources to attract business investors.

&uot;For example, we’ve received a grant to study using digital imaging to enhance medical diagnoses and improve forensic technologies. There are numerous applications,&uot; he said.

As investors rented space in the park, a tier of jobs would become available, from research scientists, software developers and support technicians to mechanical and maintenance employees, Bristow said.

ASU also plans to open a new building for its School of Business this fall. Bristow said the building will be used to enhance staff development and access to emerging business fields, such as financial outsourcing.