"Commercializing Arizona Life Sciences” Forum held at ASU Research Park – Over 100 life science-related companies gathered at the Park on February 10-11 to hear NIH and FDA representatives present on the research grant application process.

Attendees had a chance for face to face meetings with officials overseeing more than several hundred million dollars given out each year for research grants.  This symposium was the first such conference envisioned by leaders from Technopolis and TGen to “demystify” the grant application procedure and provide a forum for companies to understand the process and learn what research is being funded.  Equally, the Food & Drug Administration and the National Institute of Health officials representing disciplines including the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, and the National Institutes for Diabetes, Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, and Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and the National Cancer Institute, commented that the experience helped them understand how an applicant views the process. 

The forum was moderated by Ellen Feigal from TGen and Terree Wasley from ASU Technopolis.  Jennings Strouss was the forum sponsor and the ASU Research Park underwrote the event.  “This type of forum is one we envision doing on a yearly basis,” said Terree Wasley, Director of ASU Technopolis.  “Forums like this one, in addition to our classroom courses, one-on-one coaching and team mentoring, provide the hands-on assistance to the entrepreneurial community that will help spur grant activity in this state.”

The Flexible Display Center at ASU (FDC) formally unveiled its new facility February 4, 2005 -  The FDC, which received a $43.7 million five-year contract from the U.S. Army to develop flexible technology, has come a long way since its informal opening one year earlier.

Over 300 military personnel, technology companies and community leaders attended the grand opening of the Flexible Display Center on February 4, 2005 at the ASU Research Park.  The theme was the urgent need for flexible displays and the development of this ground breaking technology to benefit the soldier.  Within its first year, the Center has already established a fully operational 6-inch thin film transistors (TFT) pilot line and full R&D laboratory able to transition to larger displays, which is the goal in two years.  The eventual goal is the creation of truly flexible display devices that are capable of withstanding repeated flexing and implemented in a wide variety of applications.

The building in which the Center is housed, recently christened the MacroTechnology Works Building at the ASU Research Park, also has two new tenants, EV Group and Ito, which are members of the FDC partnership.  EV Group, an Austrian based company, has set up its North American headquarters at the center and will supply tools that will be used to make the prototype screens and technology for the bonding and debonding process.  Ito America Corporation is a technical import/export consulting firm that specializes in the information display, medical device and flipchip semiconductor packaging industries.

Other members of the consortium include: Center for Applied NanoBiosciences, E Ink Corporation, General Dynamics, Honeywell International, Kent Displays Incorporated, United States Display Consortium, and Universal Display Corporation.

 

Women’s Health Conference will be held at ASU Research Park May 4, 2005 –  The forum entitled "Post 40, a Wise Woman's Guide to Health and Sanity" has an impressive line up of speakers and kicks off National Women's Health Week in Arizona which begins May 8th.

The Discovery Institute for Women’s Health and the ASU Research Park will co-sponsor a statewide panel of women’s health experts to speak about menopause, newest medical research findings and the management strategy that is needed to prevent and treat the serious health problems that often affect middle-aged women. 

Physicians, educators, and research scientists from Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University, University of Arizona, TGen, and Mayo Clinic will gather to discuss a variety of critical health topics including obesity, the role of uranium in breast cancer, and the need for MHT, the controversial Menopausal Hormone Therapy versus alternative therapies that may offer relief from disruptive symptoms.

“Post 40:  A Wise Women’s Guide to Health and Sanity,” will be held at the Edward Jones Training Center, 8333 S. River Parkway on the ASU Research Park Campus from 7:30am to 12 Noon with breakfast included.  All are welcome, and health professionals from around the state are expected to attend.  Seating is limited, so call 602-569-2888 for reservations or e-mail consultmmk@aol.com.  Attendee charge is $30.

Commercial Sponsors include: Lewis and Roca, Fertility Research Institute, and Physician’s Choice of Arizona.

The Discovery Institute works in partnership with the Discovery Research Center at NAU and the ASU Research Park to deliver educational women’s health programs around the state.  The Institute is dedicated to promoting good health among women by providing leadership, education and advocacy on critical health issues.  The second in the series of Women’s Health Forums will take place October 27^th and the program will focus on “Weighing the Consequences of Obesity.”

   

ASU Research Park teams with Technopolis for Sneaker Tour of Park Technology Companies - On April 8th, 2005, over 50 guests joined the Research Park and Technopolis to hear presentations and tour three of the Research Park's technology tenants.

Attendees met for morning networking and breakfast and received an overview of the ASU Research Park and its tenants, existing space and available ground lease sites from the Park’s Executive Director, Michele Pino.  Terree Wasley, the co-host of the event from Technopolis, presented an overview of their programs and benefits to start ups, and entrepreneurs. 

The technology portion of the tour began with Greg Raupp, the Director of the Flexible Display Center at ASU, who discussed the concept behind the MacroTechnology Works building and the partnership between the technology tenants and then toured the guests through the 275,000 square foot facility (see article on FDC above).  Attendees then “sneakered” across the Park to visit two of the Park’s growing technology companies, Phoenix Analysis and Design Technologies (PADT) and CMC Interconnect Technologies (CMC).

PADT is a 50 person engineering firm that designs, fabricates, and tests electromechanical systems for customers in the aerospace, medical, semiconductor, thin film technology, energy and consumer product fields.  Guests on the tour were able to see injection molds using tooling created in less than a week, and lasers creating parts impossible to make with human hands.  In addition, guests viewed a prototype assembly line of hydrogen and air handling equipment for fuel cell cars and clean room facilities for assembly of semiconductor and surgical equipment. For more information on PADT, their website address is www.padtinc.com.

CMC is a company specializing in analytical testing, failure analysis, reliability testing, thermal/electrical characterization and technical consulting.  Their testing capabilities include: SEM/EDS, thermal/electrical measurements, mechanical testing and thermal/environmental stress evaluations.  CMC’s material experience includes organics, plastics, ceramics, metals and related plating and interconnection.  For more information on CMC, their website address is www.cmcinterconnect.com.

“We frequently hold seminars at the Park”, said Michele Pino, Executive Director of ASU Research Park, “because when people visit the park they see first hand what a attractive environment it provides for technology collaboration and work. It sells itself”.

 

ASU Research Park Board Elects New President - Chuck Backus, most recently vice president and provost of Arizona State University’s East campus, has been elected president of the board of directors of the ASU Research Park in Tempe. He succeeds Jack Pfister, who retired after 12 years as board president.

Backus’ career at ASU has been significant.  A former Associate Dean for Research in the Engineering College at the Tempe campus, he was responsible for the development of ASU’s East campus from its inception to its current period of dramatic physical and programmatic growth. The campus enrollment has grown from 1,106 in 1996 to more than 4,000 today, and the number of academic programs has grown from 8 to 24.

Backus holds a master’s and doctoral degrees in nuclear engineering, and has focused his research on solar energy. He is one of the founders of the photovoltaic field and has published more than 90 articles and books on solar energy.

Backus was also involved in the ASU Research Park’s inception in the College of Engineering, overseeing the Park when it was an experimental farm. “In 1979, the regents told ASU to get out of production agriculture and to dismantle the farm.  We made the decision to convert it to a Research Park to complement the university.  It is an honor to be asked to serve as the new President of the Board over twenty years later.  It feels like “coming home.”

Pfister, a native Arizonan, served as General Manager of the Salt River Project during a period of significant growth. He was on the faculty of the ASU School of Public Affairs for 11 years and did special projects for President Lattie F. Coor. In his final year at ASU, he was the Vice President of Institutional Advancement. During his watch, the Park gained financial solvency and economic success. "I am pleased to turn over the Park Presidency to Dr. Backus at a time when the Park is on a solid footing," said Pfister.

ASU President Michael Crow says Backus will provide the knowledge and leadership to augment the Park’s efforts in fostering sustained social advancement and economic growth through research.

“It is necessary to balance the need for continuing fundamental discovery with a research agenda focused on addressing actual and immediate problems,” he says. “Chuck Backus recognizes this need and the Park’s potential to generate more research and development partnerships toward meeting societal needs.”

The 324-acre ASU Research Park, set along the Science and Technology Freeway Corridor, is home to more than 30 research and development companies, and corporate and regional headquarters, and more than 3,000 employees. There are 1.6 million square feet of existing facilities on 181 acres, with 58 acres of land remaining available for lease.

Oversight of the Park is provided by a 16-member board composed of community leaders, deans from various ASU academic disciplines and senior ASU administration.  

 

ASU Cycling Club holds First Annual Sun Devil Criterium Race at ASU Research Park- Over 250 cyclists gathered at the Park on Sunday, February 27, 2005 to compete throughout the day in eleven different categories.  The course was held at the north end of the Park on River Parkway and Research Drive. 

 John Menard, President of ASU Cycling Club, said, “The Park was a perfect location for our first annual race.  After the race, the attendees were able to enjoy the amenities of the Park such as relaxing near the lake.  We were really impressed with the turnout.”

The ASU Cycling Club is a student run organization devoted to furthering the development of the cyclist, both competitive and non-competitive. They are committed to developing the individual, on and off the bike; as cyclists and student leaders. It is their goal to positively impact ASU, Tempe, and the cycling community.  For more information, please visit their website at www.asucyling.com. 

Past updates:

• Winter 2004

• Spring 2004

• Winter 2003