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COLLEGE PARK, Md., Oct. 29, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The Association of University Research Parks (AURP) announced the 2018 Awards of Excellence recipients and the results of the 2019 Board of Directors elections during a luncheon and other events at the 2018 International Conference hosted by the University of Maryland's Discovery District in College Park, MD.

Award of Excellence Recipients

• Outstanding Research Park – Genepole: Over the past two decades, more than 200 start-ups have called this biocluster home, along with 19 public research laboratories and 25 shared-use technology platforms. Genopole brought the biotechnology industry to new prominence in France, providing an incredible economic value to the city of Évry and the region.
• Developing Communities of Innovation Award – Research Triangle Park: As one of the most recognized research parks in the world, the Research Triangle Park (RTP) is home to 250 companies and research and development programs across numerous industry verticals. Because of this diversity, the region receives more than $300 million annually for research and development.
• Emerging Research Park Award – Lehigh University Mountaintop Campus: Since opening its doors in 2013, Lehigh University's Mountaintop Campus netted over $60 million in new investments in the facility and its portfolio of companies with an estimated $180 million in investments expected over the next 10 years and an increase by 25 percent of its current research and commercial activity.
• Leadership Award – Stephen Tang, Ph.D.: An established leader for startups, Dr. Tang joined Philadelphia's University City Science Center in 2008 as its President and CEO. Through his leadership, he developed some of the best-known incubators and business programs in the country. After ten remarkable years, Dr. Tang stepped down to join OraSure Technologies.
• Innovation Award ­– HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology: The HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology is a genomics-based research institute. Home to 15 faculty investigators, over 30 associate companies and more than 800 independent researchers and workers, the institute expects to sequence over 70,000 genomes annually by the end of 2018.
• Career Achievement Awards – Charles D'Agostino: Since 1988, Charles D'Agostino has been the Executive Director of the Louisiana Business and Technology Center and later the LSU Innovation Center. Known for his selfless efforts in helping businesses and communities in Louisiana and across the world, Mr. D'Agostino has been recognized and honored by being named Presidents of AURP and InBIA, as well as a Fulbright Specialist.
• Career Achievement Awards – Ilse Treurnicht, Ph.D.: Dr. Treurnicht has spent most of her career working with startups, growth-stage firms and as the CEO of a regional venture fund. In 2005, she joined the MaRS Discovery District in Toronto as its first full-time CEO. From 2008 to 2015, her leadership helped MaRS raise $2.6 billion in capital and generate $1.3 billion in revenue.
• Career Achievement Awards – Tom Hall: Mr. Hall's experience in the tech park business spans 50 years with the development of Tech Park Atlanta. Through this experience, Mr. Hall and his partners identified a financing model that became the platform for The University Financing Foundation (TUFF) which he cofounded in 1982. Since opening its doors, TUFF executed on over $1.3 billion in projects at university and research facilities.

"This year's award winners are stellar, and it was no small task for the awards committee to choose from among the pool of nominees," said AURP CEO Carol Stewart. "Congratulations to all our AURP Awards of Excellence recipients—each and every organization and person is so very deserving."

Additionally, AURP announced that TechSquare at the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) will host the International Conference from November 4–8, 2019.

AURP 2018 Board Election Results

AURP also announced the results of the 2018 Board of Directors' election.

Newly Elected Board Members:

• Dwaine Chapel, Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director, Research Park at South Dakota State University
• Erin Koshut, Director, Cummings Research Park
• Julie Lenzer, Associate Vice President, Innovation and Economic Development, University of Maryland Discovery District
• Scott Levitan, President and CEO, The Research Triangle Park
• Ken Marcus, Director UA Tech Park & Chief Financial Officer, Tech Parks Arizona
• Mark Romney, Director, Research Development & Industry Alliances, Aggie Square - University of California, Davis Health

Re-elected Board Members:

• Aaron Miscenich, President, New Orleans BioInnovation Center, Inc.
• Laura Frerichs, Director, University of Illinois Research Park & Incubator Services

2018-2019 Executive Committee:

• President – Dan Duncan, Executive Director, Nebraska Innovation Campus, Lincoln, NE
• Vice President – Scott Levitan, President and CEO of RTP, Durham, NC
• Treasurer – Ken Marcus, Director of the UA Tech Park, Tucson, AZ
• Secretary – Leah Burton, Director of Centennial Campus, NC State University, Raleigh, NC
• At-Large – Greg King, Associate Vice President for Economic Development at Georgia Tech, Atlanta, GA
• At-Large – Erin Koshut, Executive Director of Cummings Research Park, Huntsville, AL

Mr. Duncan will take over as President from Mason Ailstock on AURP's Executive Committee for a two-year term, as will the other elected officers, following the 2018 International Conference.

About AURP
The Association of University Research Parks is a professional association of university related research and science parks. AURP's mission is to foster innovation, commercialization and economic growth through university, industry and government partnerships. For more information, visit AURP's Web site at www.aurp.net.

SOURCE Association of University Research Parks