Institute For The Future

Characteristics and Trends in North American Research Parks

The Association of University Research Parks represents several dozen university-based research parks and real estate organizations across the US and Canada, and this study builds on a comprehensive look at the state of research parks in 2007, "Characteristics and Trends in North American Research Parks: 21st Century Directions" (PDF). In that report, AURP identified several key trends that re-inforce several foundation forecasts at IFTF that have shaped the Science In Place agenda.

• First, more and more facilities are being built in urban areas - in the 1980s only 40 percent of new research parks were being established in urban areas. Between 2000 and 2003, some 73 percent of new parks were in cities.
• Second, research parks are leaning more and more towards mixed-use, multi-tenant facilities. This is a fundamental strategic tool for us. Companies that are seeking to implement open innovation need to co-locate with other companies and university researchers. You just can't do it entirely virtually. you need to physical break down those barriers to the flow of ideas.
• Third, research parks are focusing more on incubation and entrepreneurship. We are developing a map for next year's Science In Place deliverables that will map the incubation ecosystem of innovative clusters. Research parks are a critical tool in helping stitch together pieces of this nurturing environment of organizations, people, media and services.
• Fourth, companies and research organizations come to research parks to get access to talent.

 

The study concluded with with 5 brief forecasts of the the future of research parks:

• "A new model—strategically planned mixed-use campus expansions—is emerging that involves shared space in which industry and academic researchers can work side by side."
• "Amenities will be an important offering of future research parks."
• "Research parks are being developed in urban areas as a component of neighborhood revitalization plans"
• "Research parks are being developed to leverage the assets of non-university R&D organizations such as federal laboratories."
• "More emphasis is being placed on sustainability as a design principle. Sustainable development involves balancing development"
• "International partnerships are becoming more important in university research parks."

While we applaud the great work contained in this study, these forecasts are undeveloped and offer little strategic guidance for organizations trying to understand how to build or connect to research parks.

 

Over the next year, Science In Place will be greatly expanding the scope of forecasts on the future forces that will shape the context for science, engineering and R&D in general, and use that to map the specific implications for organizations creating and participating in innovative communities.