TUCSON, Ariz., and WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Association of University Research Parks (AURP) and the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) have released a new joint white paper, From Closure to Cluster: Anchoring Innovation After Economic Disruption, examining how communities across the United States have transformed economic transition into opportunities for regional renewal.
Economic disruption is often defined by what is lost: a closed manufacturing plant, an abandoned corporate campus, a shuttered federal facility or the aftermath of a natural disaster. This white paper explores another side of that story, showing how strategic leadership, partnerships, and place-based investment can turn these moments into catalysts for long-term economic transformation.
“At AURP, we see time and again that strong leadership and collaboration can turn economic turning points into opportunity,” stated Vickie Palmer, AURP CEO. “AURP headquarters on the Tech Parks Arizona campus at the University of Arizona, is a powerful example, transforming a former IBM facility into a thriving research and technology hub. By reimagining and repurposing existing assets, communities can create new opportunities for innovation, investment and quality jobs.”
Drawing on examples including Kendall Square, the University of Delaware STAR Campus, Pegasus Park in Dallas, Nebraska Innovation Campus, and Port San Antonio, the report examines how distressed and underutilized assets have been repositioned as research parks, innovation districts and technology clusters. Across these examples, a common theme emerges –– how successful economic rebirth depends on the ability of leaders to connect talent, capital, research, infrastructure, and community assets around a shared regional strategy.
“Economic disruption is affecting every community today, making the role that economic developers play in guiding communities through disruption even more critical,” said Nathan Ohle, IEDC President and CEO. “Economic development professionals are coordinating networks, building collaboration, and managing increasingly interconnected systems that underpin regional prosperity. The future of our field depends on innovative approaches like those we are seeing in research parks, building trust and credibility through collaboration, a shared vision, and a demonstrated ability to deliver measurable results that benefit entire communities and regions.”
AURP Chief Strategy Officer Brian Darmody reported, “Resilient communities are those that adapt when their economic landscape changes. Leaders who look beyond what an asset once was, and instead envision what it can become, can turn upheaval into opportunity, creating new platforms for investment, innovation and long-term regional growth.”
For senior leaders navigating corporate restructuring, institutional closures, federal realignment and other economic shifts, the paper offers a timely perspective. Many of the country’s strongest innovation ecosystems were shaped not during periods of stability, but in response to disruption. The ability to recognize opportunity, repurpose existing assets and build strong cross-sector partnerships can determine whether an economic shock becomes a period of decline or the beginning of a new regional chapter.
Continuing the Conversation
The ideas explored in From Closure to Cluster will continue through two major gatherings of economic development and innovation leaders this fall.
The 2026 AURP International Conference, September 29 through October 1 at Pegasus Park in Dallas, will convene research park executives, innovation district leaders, higher education partners, and industry leaders for executive-level dialogue on the forces shaping the future of innovation communities. Pegasus Park itself reflects the white paper’s central theme, having transformed a former ExxonMobil campus into a growing life sciences and technology hub.
The conversation will continue at the 2026 IEDC Annual Conference, October 25 through 28 in New Orleans. Thousands of economic development professionals and thought leaders will gather in a city that embodies resilience and reinvention to explore strategies for community transformation and the future of economic development.
About AURP
The Association of University Research Parks (AURP), a non-profit international organization with offices in the Washington, DC area at the University of Maryland Discovery District and in Tucson, Arizona, at the University of Arizona Tech Park, focuses on creating communities of innovation and education for research parks, both operating and planned, plus innovation districts, incubators, accelerators and the businesses that support the research park industry.
AURP and its global membership promote research, institute-industry relations and innovation districts to foster innovation and to facilitate the transfer of technology from such institutions to the private sector. Learn more: www.AURP.org
About IEDC
Based in Washington, D.C., the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) is the world’s largest association for economic developers. Originating a century ago, IEDC is a non-profit, non-partisan membership organization that represents the entire economic development profession. Members include practitioners in economic development through local, state, provincial, and federal governments, non-profits, public-private partnerships, entrepreneurial support organizations, chambers of commerce, utilities, universities, and a variety of other organizations.
IEDC is the leading voice in driving the future of the field. It provides professional development through courses and certifications, networking, conferences, research, policy advocacy, partnerships, and other valuable offerings to economic development professionals across the globe. For more information, please visit www.IEDC.org.
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