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N.C. research parks plan 'branding' effort
Piedmont Triad's director to lead statewide network
"We will address trends...to keep North Carolina competitive," Bill Dean said of the N.C. Research Parks Network.
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Published: January 9, 2009
A goal of extending the Research Triangle Park brand statewide has led to the creation of an organization focused on bolstering economic development through increased collaboration.
Bill Dean, the director of Piedmont Triad Research Park in downtown Winston-Salem, was named yesterday as the chairman of the N.C. Research Parks Network.
The network initially represents five existing and two planned research parks. Besides Piedmont Triad Research Park and Research Triangle Park, the other existing parks are Centennial Campus at N.C. State University, Charlotte Research Institute at UNC Charlotte, and Gateway University Research Park of N.C. A&T State University and UNC Greensboro. The planned campuses are Carolina North at UNC Chapel Hill and N.C. Research Campus in Kannapolis.
"The network will enable its members to brand and locate technology resources across the state," Dean said. "Together, we will address trends and challenges to keep North Carolina competitive in the future."
Rick Weddle, the president and chief executive of the Research Triangle Foundation of North Carolina, said that Dean was chosen as chairman because of his expertise with research parks.
"Bill's peers consider him as an exceptional leader,' he said.
Weddle said that the network strategy "is fast becoming a global-best practice" for research parks.
"North Carolina is home to a plethora of innovation regions and assets, building on the foundation the Research Triangle Park established in the 1950s," Weddle said.
"There's a lot we can learn from each other," he said. "We've realized that not only are we not competitors for most deals, but we have distinct proficiencies in our research and innovation to be nurtured.
"For example, Piedmont Triad Research Park is known for its tissue-regenerative research, and the Kannapolis campus will be for its food science," Weddle said.
Dean and Weddle say that another advantage of forming the network is having a united voice when it comes to economic recruitment and public-policy lobbying at the General Assembly and Congress.
The network also represents another clearinghouse option for the state's research parks, similar to the Centers of Innovation initiative, an offshoot of the N.C. Biotechnology Center. The goal of the centers, which are virtual rather than brick and mortar, is accelerating the "identification, development and commercialization of research within a specific biotechnology-dependent industry."
Dean said that the network plans to expand as research parks are fleshed out in the eastern and western parts of the state.
■ Richard Craver can be reached at 727-7376 or at rcraver@wsjournal.com.
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