PHILADELPHIA--(October 14, 2011) – Is innovation scalable? Is Philadelphia the right place to start? The University City Science Center is convening a Town Hall to focus on how federally-funded research and development, technology-based economic development, job-centric economic theory, and political leadership can be harnessed together, within Greater Philadelphia’s unique innovation ecosystem, to incentivize the expansion of manufacturing and job creation both regionally and nationally. The Town Hall will be held Monday, October 17, 2011 at the University City Science Center, 3711 Market Street, Philadelphia, from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Members of the US Department of Commerce’s Innovation Advisory Board are conducting a series of “Innovation Town Hall” meetings across the country to explore and develop ideas and concepts for a report to the President and Congress on the nation’s innovative capacity and global economic competitiveness, as directed by the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010. Science Center President & CEO Stephen S. Tang, Ph.D., MBA, serves on the 15-member Innovation Advisory Board.
A panel moderated by Quentin Palfrey, Senior Advisor at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, will examine the importance of federally-funded translational research to our country’s innovative capacity and economic competiveness. A second panel, moderated by Patricia Buckley, Senior Economic Advisor at the US Department of Commerce, will explore how public-private partnerships and innovation intermediaries can be utilized to make advancements in education, health care, infrastructure and high-technology product development. In addition, U.S. Sen. Robert Casey (D-PA) is expected to make brief remarks, and the event will conclude with brief videotaped remarks from U.S. Rep. Allyson Schwartz (D-PA).
About the Science Center
The University City Science Center accelerates technology commercialization, regional economic development, and the market availability of life-enhancing scientific breakthroughs by bringing together innovations, scientists, entrepreneurs, funding, laboratory facilities, and business services. Established in 1963 and headquartered in Philadelphia, PA, the Science Center was the first, and remains the largest, urban research park in the United States. Graduate organizations and current residents of the Science Center’s Port business incubators have created more than 15,000 jobs that remain in the Greater Philadelphia region today and contribute more than $9 billion to the regional economy annually. For more information: www.sciencecenter.org.
