University Economic Development Association

Expectations and anticipation high for Annual Summit as competition is intense

Pittsburgh, PA – August 8, 2013 – The 2013 UEDA Awards of Excellence finalists have been chosen and the competition this year is at an all time high. Each year various UEDA member universities around the country submit nominations for their innovative programs involving economic prosperity. The UEDA awards are designed to help accelerate their programs by recognizing cutting edge initiatives and promoting their adoption by other UEDA universities. Program categories include: Community Connected Campuses, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Leadership and Collaboration, Research and Analysis, Talent Development. Normally the committee chooses three finalists in each category to present their programs for consideration at the Annual Summit; this year there are four nominees in each category. The finalists in each category are as follows:

Community Connected Campus

• University of Kansas / KU Center for Technology Commercialization
➢ Collaborative Formation and Development of the Bioscience & Technology Business Center

• University of Wyoming / Wyoming Technology Business Center
➢ Incubation and Outreach Program

• Arizona State University
➢ SkySong, ASU Scottsdale Innovation Center

• Missouri State University
➢ The eFactory: Growing the Local Economy from Idea to Job Creation

Innovation and Entrepreneurship

• University of Northern Iowa / Regional Business Center Entrepreneurship Outreach
➢ Dream Big Grow Here

• University of Pittsburgh / Institute for Entrepreneurial Excellence
➢ Entrepreneurial Fellows Center

• Penn State College of Medicine
➢ Innovation Cafe

• Innovation Works
➢ Research Commercialization Program

Leadership and Collaboration

• NC State University & UNC Chapel Hill
➢ Research, Engagement, and Capabilities Hub of North Carolina (REACH)

• Virginia Tech Office of Economic Development
➢ Virginia’s University Based Economic Development Officers

• University of Georgia
➢ Economic Development Leadership Council (EDLC)

• University of Wyoming / Wyoming Technology Business Center
➢ e2e (Entrepreneur to Entrepreneur)

Research and Analysis

• Colorado State University’s Office of Community & Economic Development
➢ The Value-Chain of Colorado Agriculture

• University of Northern Iowa Regional Business Center Entrepreneurship Outreach
➢ The Iowa Business Concierge

• Ball State University Center for Business and Economic Research
➢ Manufacturing and Logistics Report

• Building Better Communities at Ball State University
➢ Primacy of Place™ Initiative

Talent Development

• Lehigh University
➢ Lehigh’s Master of Engineering in Technical Entrepreneurship (MTE)

• Washington State University
➢ Beta Alpha Psi Mentor Program

• East Carolina University
➢ Operation Reentry North Carolina: Tools for Advanced Manufacturing for Veterans

• University of Minnesota – Duluth, Center for Economic Development
➢ UMD Teen Enterprise

All finalist initiatives will be judged by summit attendees. Each institution will present a 15-minute presentation at the summit that will in turn be judged by the criterion of replicability/scalability, sustainability and originality. Replicability and scalability measure whether a program or initiative can be reproduced in multiple institutions and whether it can be scaled up or down to fit universities of varied size. Sustainability asks whether an initiative can continue to function after its conception, has it attracted support in the local community or whether the program will have a lasting impact in its field. Lastly, originality refers to how innovative the program is, how it differentiates itself from similar programs and whether or not the ideas have met with success.

“Each year the UEDA community gathers to share the best practices and to collaborate”, says Rich Overmoyer, Executive Director of UEDA, “the Awards of Excellence honors the exceptional efforts that our members are engaged in”.

The Annual Summit 2013 is taking place in Pittsburgh, PA, October 27 – 29 in the Omni William Penn Hotel. Registration ends on August 15, 2013 at midnight. Befitting the location, this year’s theme is “Bridging Opportunities: Community, Collaboration, Innovation”. The City of Bridges will be playing host to leading edge University representatives. This is a must attend for those interested in top economic development programs, students looking for career paths, investors, university representatives and companies interested in developing regional innovation clusters.

This year’s summit agenda includes such topics as Economic Development Funding Strategies for University Programs and Partnership, Strategies for Creating Economic Development Through Online Learning, The National Energy Technology Laboratory Regional University Alliance: Models for Research Collaboration, and New Data Driven Methods for Measuring Economic Development Impact: Higher Ed’s Role and Universities Role in Economic Transformation: Pittsburgh’s Story and Lessons Learned, to name a few. Keynote speakers include the Honorable Tom Murphy, Senior Resident Fellow, Urban Land Institute and Former Mayor of Pittsburgh.

Complete summit details are at https://universityeda.org/annual-summit/annual-summit-2013/.
To register go to http://www.regonline.com/Register/Checkin.aspx?EventID=1191300.


About UEDA

Established in 1976, the University Economic Development Association (UEDA) is the cornerstone membership organization representing higher education, private sector and community economic development stakeholders. UEDA works to expand economic opportunity in our communities by leveraging research, community resources, campus planning, talent development, and technology commercialization. UEDA’s mission is to serve its members by enhancing members’ abilities to deliver economic development benefits through engagement with higher education. https://universityeda.org