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AURP Congratulates U.S. EDA Phase One Build Back Better Awardees

Thursday, 16 December 2021 02:00 PM

AURP Also Announces Webinar (Jan. 12, 2022) Focusing on Regional Engagement Strategies for Research Parks and Innovation Districts

TUCSON, AZ / ACCESSWIRE / December 16, 2021 / AURP, a 35-year global nonprofit membership organization serving research park communities, innovation districts and regional technology hubs, today congratulated the 60 jurisdictions winning $500,000 Regional Challenge planning grants from the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA).

"On behalf of the AURP membership, we are delighted to congratulate the EDA awardees across the U.S.," said Leah Burton, AURP President and Director, Centennial Campus Partnership Office at North Carolina State University.

The finalists, chosen from a pool of 529 applicants, will use the planning grant funds to further develop their proposed projects. These grants will help the finalists take their projects to the next level and position those that ultimately do not receive Phase 2 implementation awards to find new partners and sources of funding.

According to the EDA, 580 companies, philanthropic foundations, industry associations and labor unions will partner with the finalists to address needs to create new jobs and broad-based economic prosperity - along with 170 institutions of higher education, including universities, community colleges and HBCUs - to identify new training and career pathways in high growth, opportunity-rich industries.

AURP CEO Brian Darmody congratulated the EDA for successfully implementing this phase of the $1 billion Build Back Better Regional Challenge. "With 529 applications from all 50 states and several territories, the EDA had an enormous challenge in reviewing these applications to accelerate equitable economic recovery and technology enhancements for the individual regions and for the U.S. as a whole," said Darmody. "This is a great step forward to creating communities of innovation across the country, many in new sectors and new regions."

Read the EDA's press release.

In a related move, AURP will host an open (free) Webinar on Wednesday, January 12, 2022 (2:00pm-3:30pm ET) on the "Build Back Better (BBB) Regional Challenge: Lessons from Existing Regional Tech Hubs in Urban, Suburban and Rural Settings." This Webinar will feature AURP members - including University City Science Center in Philadelphia, Research Triangle Park in North Carolina and Nebraska Innovation Campus - on ways regional technology ecosystems have formed and thrived. Webinar attendees will learn how regions in differing geographic locations can build inclusive technology hubs that will be of interest to those planning or growing innovation districts and research parks across the U.S., including BBB Phase One grantees. Register for this free event here.

Other key AURP programming taking place in 2022 includes AURP Spring Training in Tempe, AZ; the AURP Bio Health Caucus taking place in San Diego on June 12-13 in conjunction with BIO's International Conference featuring sessions on bio manufacturing; and the AURP 2022 International Conference in Toronto, Canada (September 19-22, 2022). Learn more.

About AURP:
AURP, a 35-year, nonprofit international member-driven organization with offices in the Washington, DC area at the University of Maryland Discovery District and in Tucson, AZ at the University of Arizona's Tech Parks Arizona, focuses on creating communities of innovation and education for research parks both operating and planned, plus innovation districts, incubators, accelerators and the businesses that support the research park industry. AURP and its global membership promote research, institute-industry relations and innovation districts to foster innovation and to facilitate the transfer of technology from such institutions to the private sector. Learn more: www.aurp.net

Media Contact:
Ken Berlack
AURP
[email protected]

SOURCE: AURP

Topic:
Company Update
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