onMain: A place for inventors, dreamers, innovators and creative spirits
The University of Dayton (UD) and Premier Health, neighboring anchor institutions in the city of Dayton, invested $10.5 million in 2017 to purchase the 38-acre former Montgomery County Fairgrounds and transform it into onMain, “a place for inventors, dreamers, innovators and creative spirits.”
This long-underutilized parcel, which sits on the doorsteps of both campuses, is arguably Dayton’s most developable land. Over time, it will become a vibrant, walkable mixed-use district designed to support research advances and economic development. It will be a place that fosters imagination, innovation, and inclusivity, a place where people can study, work, and build careers without leaving the region.
In 2024, UD and Premier Health received $35 million through Ohio’s Innovation Hubs program to help build the Think Dayton facility on the site. The five-story, 120,000-square-foot building will anchor the onMain development and focus on digital technologies with practical applications, including work related to national defense, artificial intelligence, and health care. The building will include flexible office and lab space for companies, university researchers, and industry partners, along with hands-on learning opportunities for students.
The project brings together a broad coalition of partners, including Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, the University of Dayton Research Institute, the City of Dayton, Montgomery County, JobsOhio, and the Dayton Development Coalition. Together, public and private partners have committed $70 million to the hub.
By 2031, the partners expect the onMain project will support approximately 2,000 new jobs and generate new tax revenue and research funding for the region. The hub will also focus on keeping more STEM graduates in the Dayton area and expanding access to STEM careers through internships, certifications, and degree pathways, including options for nontraditional students.
As a member of the Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities (CUMU), the University of Dayton is advancing CUMU’s mission through programs that expand opportunity and drive regional prosperity while also supporting engaged student learning. With the construction of the Think Dayton building, UD, Premier Health, and its partners are leaning into Dayton’s storied history of ingenuity and inventiveness and accelerating the development and use of digital technologies.
Through onMain, UD is demonstrating how anchor institutions can move beyond traditional campus boundaries to shape the future of their cities and provide high-impact learning experiences for students.
