What is "science park"

n. An area with a collection of buildings dedicated to scientific research on a business footing.

A university research park, science park, or science and technology park is an area managed in a manner designed to promote innovation. It is a physical place that supports university-industry and government collaboration with the intent of creating high technology economic development and advancing knowledge. There are many approximate synonyms for "university research park", science park", technology park, technopolis and biopark. The appropriate term typically depends on the type of affiliation the parks has with an institution of higher learning and research, and also perhaps the sort of science and research in which the park's entities engage.

These parks differ from typical high-technology business districts in that university research parks and science and tech parks are more organized, planned, and managed. They differ from science centres in that they are a place where research is commercialized. Typically businesses and organizations in the parks focus on product advancement and innovation as opposed to industrial parks that focus on manufacturing and business parks that focus on administration.

The parks offer a number of shared resources, such as incubators, programs and collaboration activities, uninterruptible power supply, telecommunications hubs, reception and security, management offices, restaurants, bank offices, convention center, parking, internal transportation, entertainment and sports facilities, etc. In this way, the park offers considerable advantages to hosted companies.

Science and technology parks are supported by universities in order to bring in industry with which they can collaborate, and by local government in order to improve the prosperity of the community. Incentives to attract companies to the area are often offered as part of the entire package.

Science Park (signed as Science Park/West End) is an elevated light rail station on the MBTA Green Line, and is located at the Boston end of the Old Charles River Dam at Leverett Circle, near the intersection of Nashua Street and Charles Street ( Storrow Drive). The station is located on the Lechmere Viaduct, which connects North Station to the Lechmere terminus of the Green Line. , the station is served only by the Green Line "E" Branch, which runs from Heath Street to Lechmere.

Science Park is one of a small number of elevated rapid transit stations remaining in the MBTA system. (The only others are Beachmont on the Blue line; Malden Center on the Orange Line; and Wollaston, Charles/MGH, and Fields Corner on the Red Line.) Boston once had several elevated lines, but the Atlantic Avenue Elevated, Charlestown Elevated, Washington Street Elevated, and Causeway Elevated were all torn down in favor of subway and surface-level lines. The station is an infill station, since Green Line trains passed frequently on existing tracks through the site for many years, before the station was built.

Science Park is not served by any regularly scheduled MBTA Bus service.