Mtech Ventures, a University of Maryland incubator program led by Satish Tamboli, has won a $50,000 US Small Business Administration Growth Accelerator Fund competition award to support innovation in Opportunity Zones in the Baltimore-Washington, DC area. Through the grant, Mtech Ventures is partnering with AURP and the Center for Accelerating Innovation to organize community-needs roundtables, identify promising innovations, develop entrepreneurs and build awareness of the SBIR and STTR programs. Read more.

IMS, a global leader in insurance telematics and mobility services, recently announced the opening of its North American headquarters in the David Johnston Research + Technology Park (R+T Park), adjacent to the University of Waterloo. IMS said its move is based on R+T Park's proximity to a strong pool of high-skilled, professional talent and opportunities for collaboration with the university. Read more.

The University of South Florida (USF) and Jabil Inc. have announced a $1 million partnership focused on research, innovation and talent development with the opening of a new institute in the USF Research Park. "Our region is continuing to build momentum as a creative, high-tech destination for the next-generation workforce, and this partnership will add to that momentum," said USF President Steven Currall. Read more.

UC Davis Chancellor Gary S. May and Sacramento, CA Mayor Darrell Steinberg, both of whom received AURP's 2019 International Conference Leadership Award last month, announced a major cross-disciplinary collaboration with chef and food advocate Alice Waters at UC Davis Aggie Square. The new Alice Waters Institute for Edible Education will bring together experts from across disciplines such as education, health care, agriculture, policy and business to create new solutions for healthy, sustainable food systems. Wexford Science & Technology and GMH Capital Partners are Aggie Square's development team.  Read more.

The National Institute of Aging's Office of Small Business Research (OSBR) is working to foster more Phase I SBIR/STTR grants to woman-led, minority-owned and other underrepresented small businesses. As part of this, the OSBR's NIH Application Assistance Program (AAP) is accepting applications beginning in April (through Sept. 6, 2020) for its next AAP cohort of companies. The OSBR's Todd Haim encourages "innovators from all walks of life to take advantage of this valuable opportunity and apply." Learn more. 

Celerion, a Lincoln, NE pharmaceutical and biotechnology company, will open up a new office at Nebraska Innovation Campus (NIC). Celerion has conducted clinical studies for investigatory medicines in Lincoln for more than 50 years. Dan Duncan, AURP President and Executive Director of NIC, called Celerion "a great long-term fit" for the campus. Read more.

Sam Fiorello has been named the next president and CEO of Cortex Innovation Community. Fiorello will assume leadership on March 30, 2020, following Dennis Lower, Cortex’s President and CEO since 2010. To date, Cortex has developed 2 million square feet of office, lab, meeting and social space that is home to more than 425 established tech companies. Read more.

International Conference: Innovation Elevated

November 3-6, Salt Lake City, UT

Hosted by University of Utah Research Park

Elevate innovation and prepare for high collaboration and engagement when you take the podium at the AURP International Conference 2020.

Salt Lake City will be a global village of research, economic development, government and community leaders as we explore and discover innovation trends at University of Utah Research Park. Opportunities, strategies and solutions are within our reach through engagement with our AURP network.

Speaker proposals must be submitted ONLINE before Friday, April 24.

It's Not Too Late to Register for

Spring Training 2020!

We're one week out of AURP Spring Training 2020 where converging with your AURP colleagues is the place to be! Tempe's baseball-like temps are in the mid-to-high 60's with sunshine aplenty. Seats are limited! Can we count on you to join us?

As part of our module Driving Connectivity: Experiencing the ASU Innovation Network, our Spring Training group will meet with ASU's executive team to discover the "ASU Ten Year Outlook and Partnerships" before venturing by light rail to the ASU Downtown Campus to tour the Phoenix Biomedical Campus + ASU Downtown Campus Walking Tour. Learn more.

Tuesday evening will conclude with the AURP Board of Directors' Sponsor Appreciation Dinner - this time at The Arrogant Butcher!

AURP CEO Brian Darmody (on February 5) testified against Maryland legislation that would decouple the state's treatment of capital gains in Opportunity Zones (OZ) from that of federal taxes. The net effect, Darmody said, would be to "punish Maryland OZ investors, potentially discouraging tens of millions of dollars of new private investment in the state."

Darmody noted all Maryland-based AURP members are located in federal OZs. This legislation, he argued, would discourage private sector investment in real estate and operating businesses in AURP member parks and elsewhere in Maryland, including the city of Baltimore.  

In addition, among a number of objections to the bill is that it would impose state capital gain taxes on investments beginning in 2020, before the legislation even is made effective. Maryland would be one of the only states in the nation taxing capital gains on OZs were this legislation to pass, Darmody said in his testimony.

At the hearing, Darmody was joined by Len Mills of VerteOZ, an AURP member raising a $50 million fund to invest in technology companies in OZs. 

Questions for Brian? Connect at  [email protected]

Check out the AURP Career Center to discover your next career opportunity:

SUBMIT YOUR STORY FOR A FUTURE PARK POST !

Would you like to showcase your Community of Innovation, tenant or university activities in an upcoming AURP Park Post? We want to hear your stories so we can share them with the greater AURP community. Email us today!