Former Governor Tom Ridge and Innovation Thought Leader Robert D. Atkinson to Headline AURP 2013 International Conference

- Research Park Community Will Gather in Philadelphia to Focus on Inventing the Future - 

Tucson, Ariz., July 16, 2013 –  The Association of University Research Parks (AURP) announced today that Tom Ridge, Former Governor of Pennsylvania and First U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security (now of the Ridge Policy Group), and Robert D. Atkinson, PhD, President, The Information Technology & Innovation Foundation, will be two of the headline speakers at the AURP 2013 International Conference. Research park leaders from throughout the globe will come together in Philadelphia, Pa., from September 24 to 27 to consider issues and opportunities facing research park communities as they focus on “Inventing the Future.”

“Research park leaders need to be proactive in planning the future of their communities,” said AURP Chief Executive Officer Eileen Walker. “Former Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge and Dr. Robert D. Atkinson, along with our other carefully selected plenary session speakers, offer the insights and experiences that will help provide important considerations for our members as they seek to grow and prosper in today’s rapidly changing environment.”

Additional plenary session speakers include:

• • Stephen S. Tang, PhD, MBA, President and Chief Executive Officer, The University City Science Center
• • James Berens, President, Wexford Science & Technology LLC, a BioMed Realty Company
• • Osagie Imasogie, Senior Managing Partner, Founder, Phoenix IP Ventures
• • Margaret O'Mara, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of History, University of Washington
• • Denis Gauvreau, PhD, Commercial Manager, Research Park & Industry Collaboration-Economic Development; King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST)
• • Matt Erskine, Acting Assistant Secretary, Economic Development Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce (invited)

Further conference highlights will include a tour of The University City Science Center as it celebrates its 50^th anniversary, networking events and professional development workshops, including Research Parks 101—a full-day workshop for those new to research parks, which is offered just prior to the start of the conference.

For more information and to register, visit http://international.aurp.net.

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About AURP: The Association of University Research Parks is a professional association of university related research and science parks. AURP’s mission is to foster innovation, commercialization and economic growth through university, industry and government partnerships. For more information, visit AURP’s Web site at www.aurp.net or contact [email protected].