Authority Funded Research Alliance Is Building Arkansas’ 21st Century Economy

Tuesday, Jan 6, 2009

With a strong team of leaders and a clear focus on university-based research, the Arkansas Research Alliance (ARA) is ready to deliver on its pledge to accelerate economic development and cultivate a vibrant knowledge-based economy in Arkansas.

"Research is a cornerstone on which we can build Arkansas's future in the knowledge-driven economy of the 21st century," Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe said. "Innovation and education will develop high-paying, technology-based jobs at home while also attracting existing high-tech companies to our state. It is through the work of groups like the Arkansas Research Alliance that we will find the most effective routes to further success and prosperity."

In 2007, the Arkansas legislature approved the appropriation of start-up operational funding for the ARA from the state’s general improvement fund. Funding was authorized through the Arkansas Science and Technology Authority, under the direction of President John Ahlen, Ph.D., and the ASTA board of directors. Since that time, Jerry Adams, ARA president and CEO, has launched a public-private partnership that focuses on university-based research and provides Arkansas with confidence for progress.

Board of Trustees

As a 501c3 nonprofit, the ARA is governed by a 15-member Board of Trustees comprised of five chancellors from Arkansas research universities and 10 CEOs from across the state. “The ARA is positioned to play a pivotal role in Arkansas’ progress,” stated Board Chair Hugh T. McDonald. “Developing university-based research and incubating knowledge-based businesses are great goals – with an even greater payoff for our state. I look forward to working together to move Arkansas forward,” concluded McDonald.

Board Membership Roster:

Chairman, Hugh T. McDonald, President and CEO, Entergy
Dr. Joel Anderson, Chancellor, University of Arkansas at Little Rock
Richard Bond, President and CEO, Tyson Foods
Bruce Burrow, Principal, MBC Holdings
Dr. Lawrence Davis, Chancellor, University of Arkansas Pine Bluff
Claiborne Deming, President and CEO, Murphy Oil Corporation
Ed Drilling, President, AT&T
Scott Ford, President and CEO, Alltel
Dr. David Gearhart, Chancellor, University of Arkansas Fayetteville
Tommy May, Chairman and CEO, Simmons First National
Marla Johnson-Norris, CEO, Aristotle
Dr. Robert Potts, Chancellor, Arkansas State University
Robert Shoptaw, CEO, Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shield
Kirk Thompson, President and CEO, J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc.
Dr. I. Dodd Wilson, Chancellor, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences

University-based Research Pivotal to Progress

The ARA commissioned an independent study to assess current and potential university-based innovation in Arkansas. Scheduled to be complete by the end of the year, the study has been conducted by Battelle, the world's largest non-profit independent research and development organization, providing innovative solutions to the world's most pressing needs through its four global businesses: Laboratory Management, National Security, Energy Technology, and Health and Life Sciences.

Goals of the study:

• Determine core research competencies that have the best potential for creating jobs.
• Identify strategic focus areas that have the greatest potential to incubate and launch businesses.

With research programs and strategic focus areas identified, Arkansas research universities will participate in pinpointing respected and esteemed candidates to participate in the ARA’s Eminent Scholars Program.

Candidates for Eminent Scholars will be experts in their respective fields and will be recognized as thought leaders with world-class research credentials and an entrepreneurial record. They will oversee multi-campus research in strategic focus areas with the highest probability for job creation.

“By recruiting talent to Arkansas, we will be increasing our intellectual capital and expanding our ability to harness research and commercialize businesses,” stated Adams. “We recognize that developing a knowledge-based economy in Arkansas is a long-term goal – and one that requires focus and leadership. Under the direction of our Board of Trustees, the ARA is uniquely positioned to create new jobs and opportunities that will improve the quality of life for Arkansans,” concluded Adams.

Background

Although it is relatively new, the concept for the Arkansas Research Alliance was established several years ago through the work of Accelerate Arkansas, a statewide volunteer network of business and education leaders working to promote knowledge-based job growth and working to close the gap in per capita income between Arkansas and the remainder of the U.S.

Upon completing a two-year study funded by the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation, Accelerate Arkansas announced strategic recommendations for long-term economic growth in the state. The recommendations included five core strategies:

Core strategy 1: Support job-creating research.
Core strategy 2: Develop risk capital that is available for all stages of the business cycle, especially the funding gap.
Core strategy 3: Encourage entrepreneurship and accelerated new enterprise development.
Core strategy 4: Increase the education level of Arkansans in science, technology, engineering and math.
Core strategy 5: Sustain successful existing industry through advancing technology and competitiveness.

The ARA was established to help achieve the first core strategy. Modeled after the highly successful Georgia Research Alliance (GRA), the ARA’s focus is on university-based job creating research as an avenue to developing a knowledge-based economy in the state of Arkansas.

The GRA is credited with advancing Georgia’s reputation for being an academic center for discovery and invention. In 17 years, the GRA has created thousands of high-paying jobs and achieved a number of major advances in science, medicine and technology.

About the Arkansas Research Alliance

The ARA is a 501c3 nonprofit organization governed by a Board of Trustees comprised of chancellors from Arkansas research universities and CEOs from across the state. Operating as a public-private partnership, the ARA is committed to strengthening the economic competitiveness of Arkansas by maximizing university-based research and innovation in designated strategic focus areas. To learn more, visit: www.aralliance.org.