darmody aurp

A National Strategy for Building America’s Communities of InnovationBrian DarmodyAssociation of University Research Parks BoardUniversity of Maryland Associate Vice President for Research and Economic DevelopmentUEDA—St. Petersburg, Florida

November 10, 2008

• National governments abroad are building large research parks and science centers, attracting top U.S. researchers and corporate research dollars

• Science and technology are now global commodities

• U.S. private corporate research centers are greatly downsized or no longer exist

• Corporate and federal support for R&D at universities is declining

• We are in midst of global economic turmoil

PAGE 2

Technology Challenges Facing the U.S.

Asia’s “World Class” Campuses

Comparison: Washington D.C. Total Office Market = 100 million square feet

New Songdo City – South Korea – 60 million square feet

Examples: China

Where has the Money Gone?Declining Industrial Support of Academic R&D

NSF 06-328 | September 2006

Where has the Money Gone?Declining Industrial Support of Academic R&D

NSF 06-328 | September 2006

Funding for academic R&D failed to outplace inflation for the last 2 consecutive years, for the first time in the 36-year history of the NSF survey.

Funding for academic R&D failed to outplace inflation for the last 2 consecutive years, for the first time in the 36-year history of the NSF survey.

Corporate Support Declining

Federal Support Declining

The Power of Place: Goals

– Increasing the commercialization of U.S. Government R&D to help feed innovation to U. S. Communities of Innovation

– Increasing domestic corporate research in the U.S.

– Strengthening existing and developing new Communities of Innovation

– Creating, retaining and importing technology innovation start-ups

– Aligning Federal incentives and reforms with state technology development zones

• Studies show physical proximity of researchers (along with patents), is an increasingly important pathway to tech commercialization

• Science is becoming more inter-disciplinary and inter-institutional

• Private industry collaborations with universities and federal labs account for an increasing share of U.S. innovations and tech start-up companies

• State governments are experimenting with technology zones to support research parks and technology incubators, and to increase technology-led economic development clusters

• The federal government does not have a comprehensive innovation zone strategy to take advantage of its innovation assets

The Power of Place: Opportunities

Does Your Community Have:

• A university or college;• A research park;• A technology incubator; • A federal laboratory; or• Land adjacent to federal lab or installation

?

Yes?

Then You Have A Federal Innovation Zone

• Introduced by Senator Pryor [D-AR] and others last year

• It offers for research and science parks:

•Initial funding for development of plans

•Loan guarantees for development

•Support for a focus on international partnerships and further park expansion

PAGE 11

Building A Stronger America Act:America’s Infrastructure Solution

The American Innovation Zones should include:

• An enhanced federal corporate R&D tax credit in the zone;

• Reforms in IRS regulations affecting tax-exempt facilities to encourage more corporate-sponsored research and development in U.S.;

• A focus point for federal infrastructure investments and loan guarantees and related responses to global economic crisis;

PAGE 12

POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS: American Innovation Zones

• Incentives for creating green Communities of Innovation: supporting mixed used and residential ‘smart growth’ development strategies

• Federal lab construction and leasing preferences in Innovation Zones

• Encouragement of SBIR/STTR grants and SBIC support to companies located in the Zones

• Expansion of Enhanced Use Lease [EUL] authority to all federal agencies to increase Innovation Zones adjacent to federal laboratories

• A national research center program with required state matching grants to focus on major national issues including:

-Food Safety-Homeland Security-Global Climate Change

PAGE 13

POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS: American Innovation Zones

Develop National Federal Laboratory Foundation

to help better commercialize the $20 billion of internal

Research and Development spending within federal

Labs in our communities

PAGE 14

Federal Labs: Communities of Innovation

The United States must support programs to encourage the move of technology companies and knowledge workers into the U.S. through HB-1 visas reforms.

PAGE 15

Importing Innovation, Reforming Immigration Laws

How You Can Help

• Support the Power of Place Coalition

• Give the Coalition ideas on additional investments/reforms to take place within federal innovation zones

• Talk to your local Communities of Innovation and Coalition Sponsors

• Work with your state Congressional delegations to find sponsors/supporters

Details of Proposal www.aurp.net

http://www.aurp.net/

18

THE POWER OF PLACEADVISORY COMMITTEE

• Association of Defense Communities

• Council on Competitiveness• Government-University-

Industry Research Roundtable

• The National Academies• National Association of Seed

and Venture Funds• The University Financing

Foundation• State Science and

Technology Institute

• National Business Incubation Association

• National Center for Smart Growth Research & Education

• National Council of Entrepreneurial Tech Transfer

• National Governors Association

• Plus 24 Power of Place Sponsors

Brian Darmody

Associate Vice President

Research and Economic Development

University of Maryland College Park

[email protected]

Power of Place PDF www.aurp.net

PAGE 19

Thank You

Better Science;Better Innovation;

A Better World

PAGE 20