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December 5, 2006
Purdue Research Foundation executive selected VP of national incubation industry associationWEST LAFAYETTE, Ind., and RESTON, Va. — Gregory W. Deason, director of the West Lafayette-based Purdue Research Park, was selected to serve a one-year term as vice president for the Association of University Research Parks. Deason’s executive position with the Association of University Research Parks (AURP) was ratified to second vice president during the organization's annual conference October 25-28 in Atlanta, Ga. AURP represents leaders of 195 of the nation's university-affiliated research facilities. As the organization's second vice president, Deason will be responsible for overseeing both the AURP's National Awards Committee and its National Convention Committee. Since early 2004, Deason has served on the AURP's 15-member board of directors, which is composed of representatives from the nation's other leading research parks, including Centennial Campus at North Carolina State, Georgia Tech's Technology Enterprise Park, Innovation Park at Penn State, University Research Park at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and the Sandia Science and Technology Park in New Mexico. "It is a great honor for the Purdue Research Park and for me to be able to serve this respected organization in an increased capacity," said Deason, who also serves the Purdue Research Park's owner and manager, the Purdue Research Foundation, as the foundation's vice president of real estate and research park development. "I look forward to contributing to the advancement of the business incubation industry's niche in the area of economic development by continuing to share my research park-related experiences with the AURP membership." In addition to his vice presidency duties, Deason plans to make several presentations to AURP members on business incubation as well as moderate a panel on biodefense. As vice president for the Purdue Research Foundation, Deason is responsible for more than 232,000 square feet and $30 million of infrastructure, facilities and incubation space. His duties also include assisting client firms of the Purdue Research Park incubation complex with resources to nurture their growth and development, and coordinating a 50-acre park expansion that includes building sites for high-tech companies. Purdue Research Park encompasses 591 acres in West Lafayette and is home to the largest university-affiliated, state-of-the-art business incubator complex in the nation. Within the park, 140 businesses, of which more than 90 are high-tech, employ more than 2,900 people. AURP recognized Purdue Research Park for Excellence in Technology Transfer in 2005, and the park received the organization's Research/Science Park Company of the Year Award of Excellence in 2004. Established in 1986, AURP is a non-profit international organization that represents planned technology developments (referred to as research, science or technology parks) that are designed to promote university-industry relations, foster innovation and facilitate the transfer of technology from academe to the private sector. Technology incubators, which were virtually nonexistent until the early 1980s, represent a core element of a large number of research parks in the United States.
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