#AURPinAction
Welcome to our New AURP Member!
Spring Training 2022
Feb. 21-24, Tempe, AZ
AURP: Research Parks & Innovation Districts Rebooted

Then-2021: New Normal. Now-2022: Rebooted.

Research Parks and Innovation Districts remain the drivers of innovation, entrepreneurship and trending R&D — all formulating a sustainable future. Physical, programmatic and stakeholder engagement strategies are pertinent to the plan for these sustainable and thriving communities.

AURP Spring Training 2022 returns to Tempe Missions Palms in Tempe, AZ to tackle these challenges and inter-related initiatives.

Repeatedly cited as “AURP’s best event ever” for leadership growth and collaboration, AURP and Spring Training is THE ‘go to’ professional development network to perfect your pitch.
Meet face-to-face with senior-level research park, innovation district, incubator/accelerator executives to exchange on major league topics and their convergence points. How has the 2020 pandemic changed:

  • Physical building design
  • Design for a sustainable future 
  • Security and privacy design and relationships with federal government agencies 
  • Event and program strategies within your park or innovation district
  • Design of city and state support for your park and/or innovation district
  • Financing strategies, plus non-traditional funding sources and processes
 
Bring your questions and case studies — be prepared to participate in meaningful discussions with top subject-matter experts. This AURP intensive is a strictly workshop format — therefore space is limited. This will be an extraordinary learning opportunity. Make plans early to reserve your spot.

Register today at http://springtraining.aurp.net
#AURP Member & Industry News
U3 Advisors will be a part of project work involved with the recently announced $100 million gift from the Richard King Mellon Foundation to the University of Pittsburgh. This gift aims to advance the region’s life sciences economy by creating an anchor bioresearch and development facility on Hazelwood Green - the last remaining site of Pittsburgh’s original steel mills. The University of Pittsburgh BioForge, a biomanufacturing facility that will develop innovations in cell and gene therapy, will power the redevelopment of Hazelwood, attracting new companies and residents. U3 will partner with the Almono foundations’ partners at the University of Pittsburgh, UPMC and Carnegie Mellon University to make Hazelwood Green a dynamic environment to spur the economic vitality of the greater Pittsburgh region. Read more
A new video shows how the West Virginia Regional Technology Park is a key location for MATRIC, the Mid-Atlantic Technology, Research and Innovation Center, an independent non-profit research and development firm that develops, improves and scales chemical processes for chemical and energy companies.

The West Virginia Regional Technology Park, located in South Charleston, is a premier research and technology center contributing to West Virginia’s technological leadership, business innovation and scientific discovery. Its conveniently located office and laboratory spaces provide a high-impact environment for tenants to create and refine new concepts, technologies and systems for their customers. Watch here.
The US Economic Development Administration (EDA) has launched its $1 billion "Build Back Better Regional Challenge" that aims to provide a transformational investment to 20-30 regions across the country that want to revitalize their economies. 

Among the eligible entities that may apply include: a) institutions of higher education or a consortium of institutions of higher education and b) public or private non-profit organizations or associations acting in cooperation with officials of a political subdivision of a State. There are two distinct program phases with key deadlines to note with Phase 2 deadline on March 15, 2022.
The Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation (OMRF) has named Andrew S. Weyrich, PhD, as its new President. Weyrich, 58, comes to OMRF from the University of Utah, where he is Vice President for Research. An internationally recognized leader in blood clotting, his discoveries have facilitated key advances in the field of hematology. In addition to his role as the University of Utah’s VP for Research, Weyrich is President of the University of Utah’s Research Foundation. OMRF is one of Oklahoma City Innovation District's founding partners and shapers of the District’s landscape in research. The OKC Innovation District was recently named AURP's 2021 “Outstanding Research Park / Innovation District.” Read more
Virtual Incision Corporation, a medical device company pioneering first-of-its-kind miniaturized robots for laparoscopic surgery (and a resident company in the Nebraska Innovation Campus), has announced it has raised $46 million in a Series C funding round. The funds will be used to support regulatory and clinical programs leading to the commercialization of the company’s MIRA® (“miniaturized in vivo robotic assistant”) Surgical Platform. Virtual Incision recently announced the world’s first surgery using the MIRA Surgical Platform performed by Michael A. Jobst, M.D., at Bryan Medical Center in Lincoln, NE. Funding from the round will also be used to support the company’s research and development pipeline. Read more.
NIST has released a RFI to help guide the development of eight emerging technologies (below). NIST will use the information to inform a study it will provide Congress with a comprehensive analysis of the nation’s emerging technology sector:

  • AI
  • Internet of Things in Manufacturing
  • Quantum Computing
  • Blockchain Technology
  • New and Advanced Materials
  • Unmanned Delivery Services
  • Internet of Things
  • Three-dimensional Printing

NIST invites stakeholders throughout the scientific research, standards, advocacy, industry, and non-scientific communities to provide input that supports economic growth and competitiveness. Responses to the RFI are due by Jan. 31, 2022. Learn more.
Our warmest congratulations to Miles Thomas, AICP (Director of Economic Development & Gov. Affairs, Port of Benton, WA and Executive Director, Tri-Cities Research District) and his family with the arrival of baby daughter, Stella Hilary (born December 6)!
 
#AURP CEO Corner
AURP CEO Brian Darmody recently met with Jeff Finkle, President and CEO of IEDC, the largest international economic development organization, at their new headquarters on K Street in Washington, DC (and while wearing #AURPIC22 tuques). Jeff has strong relationships with Canada's provinces and territories, having worked with them in his 35 years of service in the international economic development field.
AURP's Brian Darmody this week also served as Moderator for the Mid-Atlantic Life Science And Biotech Summit: Developing, Investing & Continued Growth In This Booming Asset Class." The event, hosted by 935 Prose, featured industry experts in one of the nation's top life science clusters to discuss how biotech requirements are influencing the development pipeline along DNA Alley and across the Mid-Atlantic. Learn more.
Check out the AURP Career Center to discover your next career opportunity:

  • Director for Advancement, Corporate and Foundation Relations, University of Central Florida
  • Vice Chancellor for Real Estate, University of Pittsburgh
  • Director, Real Estate, University of Delaware
  • CEO, Harvard Allston Land Company, Harvard University
SUBMIT YOUR STORY FOR A FUTURE PARK POST!

Would you like to showcase your Community of Innovation, tenant or university activities in an upcoming AURP Park Post? We want to hear your stories so we can share them with the greater AURP community. Email us today!