Collaborative SmartSpace - Central Region Ecosystem for Arts, Technology, and Entrepreneurship

Opened in 2022, the 30,000-square-foot Collaborative SmartSpace at the WKU Innovation Campus is a flexible, modern workspace designed for strategists, creatives, entrepreneurs, and professionals looking for more than just a desk. It’s a place to work, connect, and collaborate—built for how people actually work today.

Mission

The Collaborative SmartSpace exists to bring creative and strategic professionals together in one shared environment—encouraging connection, collaboration, and the exchange of ideas that lead to innovation and growth across the region.

Goals

Provide flexible, professional workspace with 24/7 secure access for members
Support collaboration through shared amenities including conference rooms, training space, work pods, and a storytelling & meeting room
Foster community by creating opportunities for professionals across industries to connect and share networks
Enable productivity with reliable, high-speed fiber internet and access to Innovation Campus amenities
Serve as a hub for innovation where new ideas, partnerships, and projects can take shape

Anyone interested in learning more about membership of the Collaborative SmartSpace can contact Executive Director Jeff Hook at (270) 901-3490 or at william.hook@wku.edu.

“The Collaborative SmartSpace environment appeals to the versatility of working remotely. With the development of that type of space comes the need for a dynamic Downtown experience, because the talent utilizing that type of collaborative space ultimately craves the same sort of energy a vibrant downtown offers. Bowling Green is building an entire destination experience from the ground up. The workforce development opportunities an arts and entertainment district brings are endless.”

“The Innovation Campus is something special–state of the art, for real. From my first meeting with a fellow WKU student and collaborator, we were amazed by the location and have accomplished a lot.”

“As a student, having access to real industry professionals and people who do research full time can give us a chance to bring ideas to the table in a professional setting–working with a lot of different groups who wouldn’t normally have space to collaborate. If you’d told me I’d be able to be part of something like this as a student at WKU before now, I’d think you were crazy. But having a resource like this in Bowling Green, just a few minutes from the main campus, is really special and has a lot of cool applications for students moving forward.”

“The significance of space is often undervalued. The creation of the Collaborative SmartSpace at WKU provides an environment for high-impact engagement of faculty, staff, students, and external creatives to develop innovative thoughts, concepts, and projects.”