October 24, 2007
Purdue Research Park official elected to key position of international research parks organization
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Two Purdue Research Park officials will speak during a conference for the Association of University Research Parks, and one official has been elected to serve as the organization's first vice president.
The election took place Tuesday (Oct. 23) prior to the annual conference, which will run Wednesday through Friday (Oct. 24-26) in St. Louis.
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Gregory Deason, director of the Purdue Research Park, has been elected first vice president of the Association of University Research Parks. Deason and Steven Gerrish, director of business development at Purdue Research Foundation and Purdue Research Park, will both speak in different sessions during the conference.
"It is a tremendous honor for the Purdue Research Park to have me serving the Association of University Research Parks as not only a board member, but also as an executive officer," said Deason, who previously served as the second vice president, treasurer and chair of the organization's annual conference. "I look forward to continuing to lead the organization and to share the excellence of the Purdue Research Parks with colleagues in North America and throughout the world."
Other officers in the organization include Austin Beggs, president, Innovation Place, Saskatoon, SK Canada; J. Michael Bowman, Delaware Technology Park Inc.; Jackie Kerby Moore, Sandia Science and Technology Park, Albuquerque, N.M.; David Winwood, North Carolina State University, Centennial Campus Partnership Office; Lora Lee Martin, University of California MBEST Center, Marina, Calif.; Jim Currie, BioHio Research Park, Ohio State University; Rick L. Weddle, Research Triangle Foundation of North Carolina; Harold E. Strong Jr., Texas A&M University Research Park; and Robert T. Geolas, Clemson University-International Center for Automotive Research.
The Washington, D.C.-based Association of University Research Parks was established in 1986 with a mission to promote the development and operations of research parks through collaboration among universities, industry and government. The goal of the organization is to foster innovation and to facilitate the transfer of research and technology from academe to the private sector. The association has more than 350 members and there are more than 400 research parks worldwide.
Deason, who also is vice president of real estate and research park development for the Purdue Research Foundation, will present "Incubation as a Key Strategy for Research Park Growth" at the conference. His presentation will include topics such as:
* The importance of incubation in the development of research parks.
* The continuum of university labs to commercial enterprise.
* Best practices of incubation programs.
* Overall strategies for creating a dynamic and effective incubation program.
Deason also will provide instruction to experienced research park leaders from all over the world on how the Purdue Research Parks' efforts have taken high-tech incubation and research parks throughout Indiana.
As director of the Purdue Research Park, Deason has overall responsibilities for park programs and facilities as well as development activities related to a diverse portfolio of real estate. His activities include involvement in providing startup firms with an array of business coaching and infrastructural resources to nurture the companies' growth and development. He has contributed to establishing research parks in other parts of Indiana, including Merrillville, Indianapolis and New Albany.
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Gerrish will present "Angel Networks and Research Parks" including such topics as:
* Business growth strategy at Purdue Research Foundation.
* How angels support incubation at technology incubators.
* The do's and don'ts of working with angel investors.
As director of business development, Gerrish accelerates the development of new startups with rapid growth opportunities surrounding Purdue University-developed technologies. He has assisted in developing or helped in expanding more than 17 startup companies to more than $146 million in market value during the past three years and helped raise more than $39 million in private equity for Purdue Research Park companies.
The 725-acre Purdue Research Park has the largest university-affiliated business incubation complex in the country. The park is home to more than 140 companies. About 90 of these firms are technology-related and another 57 are incubator businesses. The park was ranked No. 1 in 2004 for university-affiliated research parks and received the 2005 Outstanding Commercialization Award, both from the Association of University Research Parks. The park's companies also have received numerous recognitions including a 2006 MIRA Award: Innovation of the Year for Purdue Research Park/Quadraspec Inc. and a 2005 CoreNet Global Innovators Award finalist.
The Purdue Research Park is part of the Purdue Research Foundation, a private, nonprofit foundation created to assist Purdue University in the area of economic development. In addition to the Purdue Research Park in West Lafayette, the foundation has established or is currently constructing technology parks in other locations around Indiana including Merrillville, New Albany and Indianapolis.
To the Purdue Research Park, https://www.purdueresearchpark.com
Purdue Research Foundation marketing and communication contact:
Cynthia Sequin, (765) 494-4192 (office), (765) 413-6031 (mobile), casequin@prf.org