Linking Utah's Innovation Community
The Utah Science Technology and Research initiative (USTAR) is a long-term, state-funded investment to strengthen Utah's "knowledge economy." This revolutionary initiative invests in world-class innovation teams and research facilities at the University of Utah and Utah State University, to create novel technologies that are subsequently commercialized through new business ventures.
In March 2006, the Utah State Legislature passed Senate Bill 75 creating USTAR. This measure provided funding for strategic investments at the University of Utah and Utah State University to recruit world-class researchers and build state-of-the-art interdisciplinary research and development facilities and to form first-rate science, innovation, and commercialization teams across the State. This initiative focuses on leveraging the proven success of Utah's research universities in creating and commercializing innovative technologies to generate more technology-based start-up firms, higher paying jobs, and additional business activity leading to a state-wide expansion of the Utah's tax base.
To achieve these measures, world-class research teams are being recruited to Utah to conduct research in innovation focus areas where the State already has distinct competitive advantages. Highly advanced discoveries in these focus areas will produce new technologies in multi-billion dollar markets. Innovation focus areas include biomedical innovation, brain medicine, energy, advanced digital and imaging technologies, and personalized healthcare.
A portion of the USTAR funding supports construction of state-of-the-art research facilities at the University of Utah and Utah State University. Each structure will provide research teams with the necessary resources to advance innovation and commercialization in their respective focus areas.
Additionally, USTAR created the Technology Outreach Innovation Program (TOIP) to be the engine to drive commercialization activities. The TOIP's mission is to support the accomplishment of USTAR's financial, employment, and research objectives by lending experienced leadership, deep business understanding, and functional expertise to the most promising opportunities and focus areas. The program is led by five directors deployed across Utah with a regional focus. Each director heads an outreach center located at one of the State's higher educational institutions: Weber State University, Utah State University-Uintah Basin, Salt Lake Community College, Utah Valley University, and Southern Utah University.
The TOIP directors are focused on promoting and encouraging commercialization of local discoveries and technologies emanating from the State's research universities and enabling technology-based entrepreneurial activities in their respective regions. The directors are assisting in expanding the transfer of new or improved technologies from State universities to existing companies and advancing cutting-edge research on behalf of Utah's leading firms.
Ultimately, USTAR stands as an innovative, visionary, and far-reaching initiative to further bolster Utah's high-technology economy, which has already become one the most dynamic around the world.
For a more detailed overview of USTAR's activities, please read the October 2008 Update, a 16-page report on all aspects of the Initiative.