The University of the Virgin Islands Research and Technology Park told lawmakers Monday it is not seeking a General Fund appropriation for fiscal 2027, while expanding STEM programs and lending.
Testifying Monday before the Senate Budget, Appropriations and Finance Committee, Executive Director Eric Sonnier described the RTPark as a “self-sustaining, autonomous instrumentality of the Virgin Islands government” funded through fees from tenant companies. He said those revenues generate more than $3 million annually for the University of the Virgin Islands.
Sonnier said the RTPark currently has 74 tenant companies located throughout the territory, including 47 on St. Thomas, 21 on St. Croix and six on St. John. He said all companies must be physically located in the Virgin Islands to qualify for RTPark benefits.
The RTPark’s operating revenue comes from fees paid by tenant companies, with a portion also supporting the University of the Virgin Islands. Sonnier told senators that so far this fiscal year the RTPark has generated about $5.9 million in total revenue, with roughly $2.7 million allocated to UVI and about $3.2 million used for RT Park operations.
He said revenue can vary throughout the year because some tenant agreements are based on company revenue and require adjustments, known as true-ups, after companies complete their tax filings. Sonnier said major true-ups occur toward the end of the fiscal year. Sonnier cited previous total revenue of about $9 million in fiscal year 2024 and about $9.9 million in fiscal year 2025.
Sonnier said RTPark tenant companies paid “about $30 million” in taxes to the Virgin Islands government on average.
He said the RTPark signed six new park tenant agreements in fiscal year 2025 and was “already at nine new park tenant agreements” in fiscal year 2026 with about two-and-a-half months remaining in the fiscal year.
Sonnier said the RTPark’s free youth STEM programs, launched in 2025 as an after-school pilot at three K – 8 schools, have grown into what he called a “territory-wide movement.” He said the programs reached more than 2,150 youth participants across all three islands over the past year, up from 775 students in fiscal year 2025.
The after-school program nearly quadrupled from 95 to 356 students and is now active in all K – 8 public schools, Sonnier said. He told senators that STEAM Day activities, which target children as young as four, grew from 161 to 284 participants as RTPark expanded into the St. Thomas–St. John district.
Senior STEM Enrichment Program Manager Marisha Perkins said RTPark’s programming includes after-school sessions, summer camps, STEAM Days and community events covering robotics, marine biology, solar power and renewable resources. Sonnier said more than 1,300 additional students participated in school site visits, robotics activities and community events, which Perkins said are hosted with partners such as the Virgin Islands Children’s Museum, the St. Croix Children’s Museum and the V.I. Education Department.
Demand has outpaced available space, Sonnier said. He told the committee that summer camps on St. Croix and St. Thomas each increased capacity from 60 to 80 students and that St. John received 20 slots, but enrollment on St. Croix and St. Thomas “was filled in just three minutes” despite the added spaces. “The demand is apparent,” he said. “What we need now is the capacity to meet that demand.”
Sonnier said RTPark offers its STEM programs “fee free to everyone who wants to participate,” and that the park is spending close to $650,000 this year on supplies such as robots and solar-car kits. He said an agreement with the Education Department helped fund the new Julius Sprauve Innovation Center on St. John and provided resources to hire facilitators and buy materials, but RTPark is still seeking additional partners to sustain the expansion.
Sonnier said the RTPark’s focus on youth STEM followed a review of Kids Count data published by the St. Croix Foundation. “When you consistently engage students in STEM from an early age,” he told senators, “you create a pipeline not just of workers, but of homegrown innovators, technicians and entrepreneurs who are all positioned to address the territory’s most pressing challenges.”
The RTPark has also expanded support for entrepreneurs through its nonprofit Community Impact Fund, which manages the V.I. LEAP Fund and Catalyst Fund. Sonnier said the LEAP Fund issued about $1.6 million in loans to 17 small businesses and community organizations over the past 10 months, while the Catalyst Fund provided another $325,000 to two businesses. He said the lending program is part of an effort to become “the first community development financial institution, CDFI, certified in the USVI.”
Lawmakers also questioned RTPark officials about past audit findings. Chief Financial Officer John Harrison said the issues predated the current leadership and that staff rebuilt the agency’s financial records after inheriting incomplete documentation. Sonnier said RTPark completed its fiscal year 2020 audit this year and plans additional historical audits to bring its financial statements current. He also highlighted the Professional Pathways program, which connects UVI students with internships at RTPark tenant companies. The RTPark employs 25 workers and contractors, he said.
Sen. Hubert L. Frederick called the RTPark “well ran, well managed” and said he wished there were “20 more RTParks in the territory,” while Committee Chair Sen. Novelle E. Francis Jr. invited Sonnier to propose legislative tweaks to Title 17 that could help RTPark ‘continue to be effective and efficient.’” Sonnier said the RTPark’s mission is to “convert investment, innovation and partnership into opportunities that strengthen our economy, support our university, and improve the quality of life for Virgin Islanders across St. Croix, St. Thomas and St. John.”
