Community Leaders Use Research Parks to Create Jobs 

Research parks are helping communities kick start their economies, create jobs and attract new companies to their region.

Serving as economic engines, parks are credited with creating local, regional and statewide jobs. One example of this is the University Research Park at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The park contributes more than $825 million to Wisconsin’s economy each year, according to a study conducted by NorthStar Economics Inc., of Madison. The study also found that the park supports nearly 9,300 jobs statewide, and generates $43 million in state and local tax revenue each year.

Madison isn’t the only community seeing results.

“Start up companies are the real job creators in a community,” said the Association of University Research Parks (AURP) President and Chief Operating Officer of the University Financing Foundation Kevin Byrne. “That’s why research parks are so effective - they help launch new companies and create high-wage jobs by giving entrepreneurs and researchers access to business training, a qualified workforce and local university resources.”

Over fifty of the top research park executives from around the world will gather in St. Petersburg, Florida on March 19th – 23rd for the Association of University Research Parks’ Spring Training Meeting, a week-long intensive designed to help community leaders position their research parks as economic drivers and job creators.

Innovation leaders from Research Triangle Park, Purdue Research Park, Sandia Science and Technology Park, among others, will be in attendance.

“Top park executives will drill down on a range of topics including leadership development, bioparks, energy, the new political climate, marketing and open innovation,” said Byrne. “The Spring Training Meeting is a unique opportunity for park leaders to network, share best practices and to learn how to build successful economic engines in their own communities.”

For more information about research parks and the 2012 Spring Training event, visit http://www.aurp.net.

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 on AURP and the 2012 Spring Training Meeting, visit AURP’s Web site at www.aurp.net or contact Chelsea Simpson at [email protected].