Newswise — The Association of University Research Parks (AURP) presented their 2009 Annual Awards of Excellence naming Innovation Place in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Canada, the 2009 Outstanding Research Park. The awards were presented at the AURP 2009 Annual Conference in Vancouver October 23.

The 14th Annual AURP Awards of Excellence recognize the achievements of outstanding research parks and industry veterans and encourages the development of best practices among research and science parks.

AURP awarded Innovation Place, a leader in the global research park community, the 2009 Outstanding Research Park Award in recognition of their role in supporting the growth of science and technology related economic development in the Province of Saskatchewan. The outstanding research/science park achievement award recognizes the parks that excel in bringing technology from the laboratory to economically viable business activities, thus promoting the growth of businesses, jobs and public revenue. Innovation Place has grown dramatically in its almost 30 year history and now operates and manages 24 buildings comprising 1.5 million square feet of space in three cities. Located adjacent to the province of Saskatchewan’s two major universities, Innovation Place is fulfilling its mandate to help create jobs in the science and technology sector and is establishing best practices in the global “Community of Innovation.”

The Premier of Saskatchewan, Brad Wall, is pleased to see Innovation Place get international recognition. “This award is further evidence of the leadership role this province can take in technology and innovation,” says Wall. “For almost 30 years, Innovation Place has been helping entrepreneurs take discovery from the lab to the market place, providing opportunities for our young people to help grow this province.”

The 2009 Emerging Research/Science Park went to Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR) in Greenville, South Carolina. CU-ICAR is envisioned to be the premier automotive and motorsports research and educational facility in the world, designed as an advanced technology research campus where university, industry and government partners foster innovation, provide unmatched academic experiences and stimulate economic development. The driving force of CU-ICAR is to create a new knowledge-based economy supported by the foundation of unmatched public/private partnerships.

The Innovation Award was presented to Medipacs located in the University of Arizona Science and Technology Park in Tucson, Arizona. Medipacs has commercialized a new polymer actuator material which experiences large volume size changes and produces high pressures under very low power (1mA). These new polymer actuators are the pump mechanism of a disposable, small patch like, device being commercialized as the Medipacs “Mini Infuser™”. The Mini Infuser™ is a miniature, disposable, drug delivery device designed to significantly lower the cost of patient care while improving a patient’s lifestyle with increased pharmacological safety, patient mobility and fewer needle sticks. Broad application of this technology will impact and lower the cost of healthcare not only for millions of infusion patients but also the industry providers.

The Career Achievement Award was presented to J. Michael Bowman, President and Chairman of Delaware Technology Park (DTP) in Newark, Delaware. He was founding Chairman of Delaware Technology Park, at the request of the Governor in 1992. As an executive in DuPont for advanced materials he located in business center in DTP to become the first anchor tenant. In 1998, he was asked to become President to jump-start the park’s growth. Since then 4 buildings were added with a fifth underway to complete this phase of the park. There are now 54 companies, 20 spinouts, 16,000 jobs created in the community with DTP as a hub and $500 million in investments and grants won. Bowman served as President of the AURP Board of Directors in 2008.

The 2009 Leadership Award was presented to Dr. David J. Ramsay, President at the University of Maryland in Baltimore, Maryland. Dr. Ramsay is a community leader who has realized the dream of building a better Baltimore. Dr. Ramsay has been a leading partner in the redevelopment of the entire west side of Baltimore through direct expansion of the campus, community and business partnerships, joint venturing on projects in the new Westside Renaissance neighborhood east of the University and in the establishment of the University of Maryland BioPark.

The AURP Appreciation Award was presented to Eva Klein, president of Eva Klein & Associates, Ltd., her consulting practice focused on Strategies for the Global Knowledge Economy and a managing member of IDEA Partnerships, LLC. Ms. Klein has assisted universities, public sector, and alliance organization clients with technology park planning and regional economic development strategies in the U.S. and abroad. For the past 25 years, she has promoted the idea of putting “university” in “university research parks” and its critical role in technology-based economic development. Klein has left her imprint on many of the country’s most successful research parks and served several terms on the AURP Board of Directors in its early years.

Three outgoing board members received Appreciation Awards including J. Michael Bowman of Delaware Technology Park, Robert T. Geolas of Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR) and Gregory W. Deason of Purdue Research Park.

AURP elected their 2010 Board of Directors naming Brian Darmody of The University of Maryland, President of the Board of Directors. Newly elected Board Members include Tony Grindberg of NDSU Research and Technology Park, David Baker of University Technology Park at IIT and Joe Meredith of Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center.

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 Chelsea Simpson at [email protected]