Innovation-Driven Economic Development
C. Robert Sawyer, Chicago Regional Director 
U.S. Department of Commerce of the Economic Development Administration 

Identify emerging opportunities for your park with critical updates from the Economic Development Administration. Hear Robert Sawyer address the future of innovation.          

Gap Funding: Mind the Gap Report Updates
Jacob Johnson, MS MOT, Former Special Project /Business Relationship Manager, Office of Business Relations
University of Minnesota 

Lack of early-stage funding transitioning technology from the lab to the market stifles innovation. Find out how many university research parks are filling the “gap” with funds of their own. We will review Mind the Gap (2005), a work that profiles funds at 50 research universities, and look at how these funds have behaved over time.

Adapting for Success
G. Steven Burrill, Chief Executive Officer
Burrill & Company 

The healthcare and life sciences world has experienced a sea of change. Dramatically changed capital markets and the three R’s of a shifting healthcare environment – Reform, Regulation & Reimbursement – have created a new eco-system. Adapting to these changes is not an option, but a requirement. Drawing from Darwin, Mr. Burrill will show how only the companies that are adapting will thrive. His global insight and 40+ years of building successful companies bring unparalleled vision.

Green Economies for a Sustainable Future
Dr. John Byrne, Director and Distinguished Professor of Public Policy
University of Delaware
Center for Energy and  Environmental Policy

Back by popular demand, Dr. Byrne will address the latest updates and the vital role the research community must play in climate change. Dr. Byrne calls on the research community to invent new technologies and greatly improve performance in the energy sector, and to build an interdisciplinary knowledge of sustainability that joins science, engineering, economics and policy in a common effort to change direction. Universities are key to building a sustainable future. Change in the institution is necessary to contribute to a world where children can play without worries about their carbon consequences.