Brown County STEM Innovation Center opens its doors

County and state leaders on Thursday celebrated the opening of the Brown County STEM Innovation Center.

The 63,000-square foot facility will be home to The Einstein Project, which helps local schools fund science projects, and the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay's Richard J. Resch School of Engineering.

Officials hope it helps fill the skills gap in manufacturing jobs and increase entrepreneurship in the area.

"The biggest thing that will happen is, this is making sure that we are creating 21st century problem solvers. That's hugely important for the state of Wisconsin. It's important for our future. It's important for what we do today, but it's also important for where we are going," Wisconsin Dept. of Administration Secretary Joel Brennan said.

The Brown County STEM Innovation Center was funded in part by former Gov. Walker's capital budget, Brown County and donations to U.W.-Green Bay.