Last modified: Monday, October 3, 2011
IU and Purdue hosting University Economic Development Association summit in Indianapolis
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Oct. 3, 2011
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Indiana's two public research universities are coming together to host the annual national summit of the University Economic Development Association (UEDA), which will take place in Indianapolis on Oct. 9-11.
Hosting the national conference are Indiana University and Purdue University. The campus of Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) will also host many conference sessions during the summit.
Established in 1976, UEDA focuses on the crucial role played by higher education institutions as economic development partners. From colleges and universities nationwide, UEDA members include directors of business incubators, business and entrepreneur assistance centers, research parks, export assistance programs, EDA University Centers, and myriad other university-based economic development and research centers.
The summit will focus on the theme "Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Talent: Creating and Sustaining a Culture of Entrepreneurship at Your University."
Keynote speakers will include IU President Michael A. McRobbie; Tom Guevara, deputy assistant secretary for regional affairs at the U.S. Economic Development Administration; Curtis Carlson, chief executive officer of SRI International; Phillip Singerman, associate director for innovation and industry services at the National Institute of Standards and Technology; and Dr. Lloyd Jacobs, president of the University of Toledo.
"We are very pleased to co-host the UEDA annual summit and have such an opportunity to showcase some of the many ways in which Indiana has benefited from public research universities that have eagerly engaged with business and economic development leaders," McRobbie said. "By partnering with many organizations to provide access to our universities' resources, we've created a model that our visitors from across the country will appreciate up close during their visit here."
Other summit presenters will include Jo Ann Gora, president of Ball State University; and Michael Harris, chancellor of IU Kokomo. Leaders of the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership, the Indiana Economic Development Corp. and the IU Research and Technology Corp. are invited to discuss engagement efforts in Central Indiana and beyond.
A team from Ball State will explain their Brownfield Grant Writers' Tool, and the Indiana Business Research Center in IU's Kelley School of Business will discuss the findings of its national "Driving Change: Greening the Automotive Workforce" report.
Presentations will include those about creating partnerships between community entrepreneurs and the military with university researchers and faculty experts, the value of student consulting projects and how to accelerate technology adoption by small to medium-sized manufacturers. UEDA also will have its annual board meeting and present its awards of excellence.
"The Awards of Excellence competitions are the highlight of UEDA's annual summits. During these competitions, UEDA members compete to win national awards in five categories including Excellence in Talent Development, Excellence in Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Excellence in Community Connected Campus, Excellence in Leadership and Collaboration, and Excellence in Research and Analysis," said Leslie Pachol, UEDA executive director. "Award winning projects truly represent the best practices in university-based economic development projects."
The UEDA annual summit will take place Oct. 9-11 at the Embassy Suites Hotel-Downtown Indianapolis. Registration information is available at the organization's web site at https://www.universityeda.org/. Interested parties may register to attend the entire summit or single days of the summit.
