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Strategically Targeted Academic
Research teams (STARS), also known as Innovation
Research Teams (IRTs), were initiated by the Washington State
Legislature in 2007.
House Bill
1091 directed the
Washington
Economic Development Commission
(WEDC), to work with multiple agencies, to establish
Innovation Partnership Zones
(IPZs) across the state, and initiate Innovation Research Teams,
STARS. At the core of the STARS
program is innovation -
a new model for research, technology,
and private business to interact. STARS create an
eco-system facilitating technology transfer from research
institutions to the private sector, launching new products,
validating new processes and creating new jobs for Washington
state citizens.
The IPZ
zones are comprised of research institutions, globally
competitive firms in a research-based industry or industries,
with accessible training capacity for upgrading the skills of
the firms’ workers.
The WEDC, in
conjunction with the
Higher Education
Coordinating Board (HECB) and working with the
Washington
Education & Training Coordinating Board (WTB), plans to
recruit 10 lead entrepreneurial researchers over the 10-year
period, 2007-2017. The HECB administers the
program supporting designated STAR teams.
The Department of
Commerce administers the Innovation Partnership Zones (IPZs).
The WEDC provides the IRTs and IPZs with advice of on
designation criteria and outcome metrics.
Two Washington state IRT research teams
were established in the first year
after the legislation passed:
Michael Hochberg, Nanophotonics,
University of Washington; and Brigitte Ahring, Biofuels,
Washington State University in conjunction with the Pacific
Northwest National Laboratories.
2008 also saw
the origination of an Entrepreneur-in Residence (EIR) program.
Designed to accelerate technology transfer from research to
viable, new products, EIRs couple business entrepreneurs with
researchers. Entrepreneurs and researchers work shoulder-to-shoulder, understanding each
others needs and counseling one another.
In 2009, the Washington Economic
Development Commission also established an
Innovation Advisory
Committee to guide both STARS & IPZs with strong private sector
input, ensuring the money invested in these programs
will generate the most return in the economy. The
Committee, required by legislation, is comprised of 27 members
from the public, private, higher education, and non-profit
organizations.
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