AURP Announces Awards of Excellence Winners at 2017 International Conference

HUNTSVILLE, Ala., Oct. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Association of University Research Parks (AURP) today announced the recipients of the Awards of Excellence recognized during its 2017 International Conference hosted by Cummings Research Park in Huntsville, AL. Additionally, AURP announced the results of the election for its 2018 Board of Directors.

Award of Excellence Recipients:

• Outstanding Research Park – University of Maryland BioPark: Over the past 12 years, the University of Maryland BioPark has created a robust community of innovation while being an integral participant in the rejuvenation of West Baltimore. The park has generated over $400 million in capital investment.
• Emerging Research Park Award – The Nebraska Innovation Campus (NIC): NIC began construction on its campus in 2012 and currently holds over 380,000 square feet of office, laboratory, greenhouse, maker space and commercial space, attracting more than $148 million in private and public investments.
• Career Achievement Award – Brian Darmody, Associate Vice President of Corporate and Foundation Relations, University of Maryland: Having served for 20 years in leadership positions at local, state, national and international levels in the innovation and research communities, Mr. Darmody has continually been a proponent of the development of science and research parks, the promotion of communities of innovation, and the advancement of the public policies that support them.
• Leadership Award – David Johnston: As Canada's 28^th Governor General, His Excellency David Johnston has a passion for and mission to create meaningful opportunities for the collaboration of industry, academia, and government for the betterment of the world.
• Developing Communities of Innovation Award – Cummings Research Park: With a long history of innovation and research, CRP has become known for both its economic and cultural impacts on the local and regional communities through the integration of mixed-use spaces with research and other work environments.
• Innovation Award ­– Paratus Diagnostics: Paratus Diagnostics partnered with its research park in an impactful way to develop a novel point-of-care product using targeted assays through other available technologies to provide rapid disease detection. This allowed it to close its Series A funding round successfully.

In addition to the Innovation Award recipient, AURP's Awards Committee named four firms as Honorable Mentions for their achievements and developments:

• Lubricity System at the Louisiana State Innovation Park
• Emrgy at Tech Square at the Georgia Institute of Technology
• Agrible Predictive Analytics for Growers at the University of Illinois Research Park
• Darling Geomatics at the University of Arizona Tech Park

"This year's Awards of Excellence recipients and Honorable Mentions are among the most ground-breaking organizations and individuals in the world," said AURP CEO Carol Stewart. "Whether they have helped to drive medical innovation or foster economic partnerships that were previously inconceivable, the talent and commitment represented by this group highlights the possibility of what is achievable across disciplines and populations through a collaborative approach. This is at the foundation of our association."

Additionally, AURP announced that the University of Maryland Discovery District would host the International Conference, October 22 – 26, 2018.

AURP 2018 Board Election Results

AURP also announced the results of the 2018 Board of Directors election. This year's appointees are:

• Mason Ailstock, VP Operations, The University Financing Foundation (incumbent)
• Denis Gauvreau, Director of International Affairs, Genopole - France (incumbent)
• Jeff Johnson, Director, Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center/Tech Center Research Park
• Daniel Duncan, Executive Director, Nebraska Innovation Campus, University of Nebraska – Lincoln

Newly elected members, Mr. Johnson and Mr. Duncan, will join Mr. Ailstock and Mr. Gauvreau on the Board following the 2017 International Conference.

About AURP
The Association of University Research Parks is a professional association of university related research and science parks. AURP's mission is to foster innovation, commercialization and economic growth through university, industry and government partnerships. For more information, visit AURP's Web site at www.aurp.net.

SOURCE Association of University Research Parks

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http://www.aurp.net