IDAHO FALLS – The College of Eastern Idaho’s newest academic facility has an official name. The under-construction Future Tech Building on CEI’s Idaho Falls campus will now be known as the Battelle Energy Alliance Future Tech Building, following major donations from Battelle Energy Alliance (BEA) and Frontier Credit Union.

Frontier Credit Union will also hold the naming rights to a 4,087-square-foot conference space, which will serve as a venue for lectures, student forums, and community meetings.

The announcement was made during an unveiling ceremony Thursday, where CEI President Lori Barber praised the collaboration as a transformational effort.

“This remarkable building is really proof of what happens when we all come together in a common cause. It is the result of a partnership that will change lives for decades to come,” Barber said. “All of us at CEI are so excited to share in this partnership.”

The new facility is supported by $4.5 million in donations from BEA and an additional $3.5 million from Frontier Credit Union, contributing to the overall $50 million project cost. Taxpayers are funding about $32 million, while the remainder comes from private grants and donors.

When completed in fall 2026, the two-level building will house programs in cybersecurity, mechatronics, IT, and STEM, along with field testing laboratories, collaborative workspaces, and a large event area for civic and business functions.

BEA, based in Columbus, Ohio, manages eight national laboratories, including the Idaho National Laboratory (INL). Executive Vice President Juan Alvarez said the company’s gift reflects its long-standing mission of education and innovation.

“(BEA) wasn’t just about doing research to benefit society. At its core, it was also about education,” Alvarez said. “This is an amazing community. You’re going to benefit tremendously from this opportunity to develop our future talent.”

INL Director John Wagner emphasized the urgency of developing a skilled workforce to meet national energy and security challenges.

“Our nation is … facing historic challenges with energy and energy security,” Wagner said. “We must have talented people eager to make a difference in order for us to be successful. That’s exactly what the vision of the Future Tech Building is all about.”

In addition to supporting the building, Frontier Credit Union is creating a STEM scholarship program for CEI students. Through a co-branded debit and credit card initiative, a portion of every transaction will go toward scholarships.

“Every time one of these cards is used, a portion of that purchase will go towards funding scholarships for those students,” said Frontier CEO Dan Thurman. “Together, we’re building better lives, we’re building better communities and we’re building a future for Idaho.”

The Battelle Energy Alliance Future Tech Building is expected to become a cornerstone of CEI’s campus, designed not just as an academic space but as a hub for industry partnerships, innovation, and community collaboration.

Originally reported by Rett Nelson in East Idaho News.