Among the little-known gem businesses and associations that call Tucson home is the Association of University Research Parks, which represents more than 170 research parks in 17 countries.

Headquartered in a Catalina Foothills office building, 6262 N. Swan Road, Suite 100, the association’s mission is to foster innovation, commercialization and economic growth in a global economy through university, industry and government partnerships.

“We work to connect our members to one another, which increases collaboration and furthers innovations,” said Chief Executive Officer Eileen Walker said. “We also work to establish and promote best practices for university research parks.”

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Founded in 1986 at Arizona State University in Tempe, the organization moved to Washington, D.C., where it was based until three years ago when it came to Tucson. In the 1980s there were only a handful of university technology parks.

The association organizes three meetings per year for its members including an annual conference, this year was held in October in Vancouver, B.C. That’s where Medipacs, which is housed in the Arizona Center for Innovation at the University of Arizona’s Science and Technology Park, received the association’s 2009 innovation award.

Medipacs is commercializing the first non-mechanical infusion pump for drug delivery. Instead of using traditional, mechanical pumps, Medipacs has developed a polymer that acts like a pump as it precisely expands to deliver injectable medications. The polymer technology is enabling development of new drug infusion pumps that are wearable, programmable and disposable to allow for greater accuracy, patient comfort and convenience at a lower cost.

Walker said one of the more important things the organization does is provide the communication channel among researchers around the globe.

“You may be in the United States, and you can learn from other people’s successes and mistakes on similar research easier,” Walker said. “This makes the learning curve on something much shorter and it provides for collaboration around the globe where someone could be farther in one area but you could be more developed in another. Our members are extremely helpful to one another.”

Walker and her staff are often making those connections for members.

“We’ll receive calls from all over the world with questions on this or that, but we may know of a specialist in that field and we can make the connection for them.”

Bruce Wright, associate vice president of university research parks at the UA, said the association has been invaluable in providing a network of research parks across the continent.

“Through AURP conferences, programs and workshops we are able to learn about trends, best practices and innovative ideas, park development, management and operations,” Wright said. “AURP has also provided us with a platform to showcase and market the Tech Park and Bio Park both nationally and internationally. AURP has also served as a powerful voice for research parks with both state and national government.”

To that end, the association has a bill in the U.S. Senate (SB 583) and a companion bill that will be introduced in the House of Representatives next year seeking more federal support of research parks.

“We will be testifying in front of a U.S. Senate panel in the next couple weeks on the need for more and better funded research parks,” Walker said. “We also try to get the word out on innovations and the role it plays in a healthy economy.”

As an example, a 2007 economic impact study of the UA Science and Technology Park, 9040 S. Rita Road, showed the park contributed $2.45 billion in economic impact to Pima County and accounted for 13,247 direct and indirect jobs. The study was done by Jaewon Lim, an economist at the UA.

A more recent example is a study done this year of University City Science Center in Philadelphia showing current and graduated companies from the park’s business incubation program contribute more than $9 billion in economic impact for the surrounding area.

“The University City Science Center has a long history of helping to create a more robust economy in the Greater Philadelphia region,” said Tom Morr, president and CEO of the economic development organization Select Greater Philadelphia. “The impacts identified in this study provide further evidence of how Greater Philadelphia’s innovative capacity and strong high-tech collaborations have contributed to the area’s economic vitality. Organizations like the Science Center have helped the region outperform the U.S. economy as a whole in these troubled economic times.”

Walker wants to see more of that kind of response around the country.

“It is very important that folks realize that innovation and supporting the infrastructure of a research park will create prosperity for the United States,” Walker said.

Contact reporter Joe Pangburn at jpangburn@azbiz.com or (520) 295-4259.