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A science park (also called a "university research park", "technology park", "technopark", "technopolis", "technopole", or a "science and technology park" TP is defined as being a property-based development that accommodates and fosters the growth of tenant firms and that are affiliated with a university (or government and private research bodies) based on proximity, ownership, and/or governance. This is so that knowledge can be shared, innovation promoted,

technology transfer Technology transfer (TT), also called transfer of technology (TOT), is the process of transferring (disseminating) technology from the person or organization that owns or holds it to another person or organization, in an attempt to transform invent ...

red, and research outcomes progressed to viable commercial products. Science parks are also often perceived as contributing to national economic development, stimulating the formation of new high-technology firms, attracting foreign investment and promoting exports.

Background

The world's first university research park,

Stanford Research Park Stanford Research Park (SRP) is a technology park established in 1951 as a joint initiative between Stanford University and the Palo Alto, California, City of Palo Alto. It was the world's first university research park. It has more than 150 com ...

was launched in 1951 as a cooperative venture between

Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...

and the City of Palo Alto. Another early university research park was

Research Triangle Park Research Triangle Park (RTP) is the largest research park in the United States; it occupies in North Carolina and hosts more than 300 companies and 65,000 workers. It is owned and managed by the Research Triangle Foundation, a private non-profi ...

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

, which was launched in 1959. In 1969, Pierre Laffitte founded the Sophia Antipolis Science Park in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. Laffitte had travelled widely and developed a theory of "cross-fertilisation" where individuals could benefit mutually by the exchange of thoughts in many fields including culture, science and the arts. Science parks are elements of the infrastructure of the global "

knowledge economy The knowledge economy, or knowledge-based economy, is an economic system in which the production of goods and services is based principally on knowledge-intensive activities that contribute to advancement in technical and scientific innovation. ...

". They provide concentration that foster innovation and the development and commercialization of

technology Technology is the application of Conceptual model, conceptual knowledge to achieve practical goals, especially in a reproducible way. The word ''technology'' can also mean the products resulting from such efforts, including both tangible too ...

and where governments, universities and private companies may collaborate. The developers work in fields such as

information technology Information technology (IT) is a set of related fields within information and communications technology (ICT), that encompass computer systems, software, programming languages, data processing, data and information processing, and storage. Inf ...

pharmaceuticals Medication (also called medicament, medicine, pharmaceutical drug, medicinal product, medicinal drug or simply drug) is a drug used to diagnose, cure, treat, or prevent disease. Drug therapy ( pharmacotherapy) is an important part of the ...

science Science is a systematic discipline that builds and organises knowledge in the form of testable hypotheses and predictions about the universe. Modern science is typically divided into twoor threemajor branches: the natural sciences, which stu ...

and

engineering Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to Problem solving#Engineering, solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve Systems engineering, s ...

. Science parks may also offer a number of shared resources, such as incubators, programs and collaboration activities,

uninterruptible power supply An uninterruptible power supply (UPS) or uninterruptible power source is a type of continual power system that provides automated backup electric power to a electrical load, load when the input power source or mains electricity, mains power fai ...

telecommunications Telecommunication, often used in its plural form or abbreviated as telecom, is the transmission of information over a distance using electronic means, typically through cables, radio waves, or other communication technologies. These means of ...

hubs, reception and

security Security is protection from, or resilience against, potential harm (or other unwanted coercion). Beneficiaries (technically referents) of security may be persons and social groups, objects and institutions, ecosystems, or any other entity or ...

, management offices,

bank A bank is a financial institution that accepts Deposit account, deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital m ...

offices,

convention center A convention center (American and British English spelling differences, American English; or conference centre in British English) is a large building that is designed to hold a Convention (meeting), convention, where individuals and groups ...

parking Parking is the act of stopping and disengaging a vehicle and usually leaving it unoccupied. Parking on one or both sides of a road is often permitted, though sometimes with restrictions. Some buildings have parking facilities for use of the bu ...

, and internal transportation. Science parks also aim to bring together people who assist the developers of technology to bring their work to commercial fruition, for example, experts in

intellectual property law Intellectual property (IP) is a category of property that includes intangible creations of the human intellect. There are many types of intellectual property, and some countries recognize more than others. The best-known types are patents, ...

. They can be attractive to university students who may interact with prospective employers and encourage students to remain in the local area. Science parks may be designed to enhance the quality of life of the workers. For example, they might be built with sports facilities, restaurants, crèches or pleasant outdoor areas. Apart from tenants, science parks create jobs for the local community. Science parks are specific locations and differ from the wider area

high-technology business district This is a list some of technology centers throughout the world. Government planners and business networks often incorporate "silicon" or "valley" into place names to describe their own areas as a result of the success of Silicon Valley in Califo ...

s in that they are more organized, planned, and managed. They differ from

science centre A science museum is a museum devoted primarily to science. Older science museums tended to concentrate on static displays of objects related to natural history, paleontology, geology, industry and industrial machinery, etc. Modern trends in mu ...

s in that they lead to commercialized products from research. They differ from

industrial park An industrial park, also known as industrial estate or trading estate, is an area zoned and planned for the purpose of industrial development. An industrial park can be thought of as a more heavyweight version of a business park or office par ...

s which focus on manufacturing and from

business park A business park or office park is a designated area of land in which many office buildings are grouped together. These types of developments are often located in suburban areas where land and building costs are more affordable, and are typically ...

s which focus on business office locations. Science parks are found worldwide. They are most common in

developed countries A developed country, or advanced country, is a sovereign state that has a high quality of life, developed economy, and advanced technological infrastructure relative to other less industrialized nations. Most commonly, the criteria for eval ...

. In

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

there are over 170 science parks. For example, in the 1980s,

North Carolina State University North Carolina State University (NC State, North Carolina State, NC State University, or NCSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1887 and p ...

, Raleigh lacked space. New possible sites included the state mental-health property and the Diocese of Raleigh property on surrounding the Lake Raleigh Reservoir. The university's Centennial Campus was developed. Sandia Science and Technology Park, NASA Research Park at Ames and the East Tennessee Technology Park at

Oak Ridge National Laboratory Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is a federally funded research and development centers, federally funded research and development center in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1943, the laboratory is sponsored by the United Sta ...

are examples of research parks that have been developed by or adjacent to

US Federal government The Federal Government of the United States of America (U.S. federal government or U.S. government) is the national government of the United States. The U.S. federal government is composed of three distinct branches: legislative, execut ...

laboratories. Science and technology park (STP) activity across the European Union has approximately doubled over the last 11–12 years, driven by the growth of the longer standing parks and the emergence of new parks. There are now an estimated 366 STPs in the EU member states that manage about 28 million m2 of completed building floor space, hosting circa 40,000 organisations that employ approximately 750,000 people, mostly in high value added jobs. In the period from 2000 – 2012, total capital investment into EU STPs was circa €11.7 billion (central estimate). During the same period, STPs spent circa €3 billion on the professional business support and innovation services they either deliver or finance to assist both their tenants and other similar knowledge based businesses in their locality. Increasingly, the reasons why STPs are sound investments for public sector support are becoming better understood and articulated. The evidence base shows that better STPs are not simply the landlords of attractive and well specified office style buildings. Rather, they are complex organisations, often with multiple owners having objectives aligned with important elements of economic development public policy as well as an imperative to be financially self-sustaining in the longer term.

Definitions

The Association of University Research Parks (AURP), is a non-profit association consisting of university-affiliated science parks, almost entirely based in North America. It defines "university research and science parks" as "property-based ventures with certain characteristics, including master planned property and buildings designed primarily for private/public research and development facilities, high technology and science based companies and support services; contractual, formal or operational relationships with one or more science or research institutions of higher education; roles in promoting the university's research and development through industry partnerships, assisting in the growth of new ventures and promoting economic development; roles in aiding the transfer of technology and business skills between university and industry teams and roles in promoting technology-led economic development for the community or region." The International Association of Science Parks and Areas of Innovation (IASP), the worldwide network of science parks and areas of innovation, defines a science park as "an organisation managed by specialised professionals, whose main aim is to increase the wealth of its community by promoting the culture of innovation and the competitiveness of its associated businesses and knowledge-based institutions. To enable these goals to be met, a Science Park stimulates and manages the flow of knowledge and technology amongst universities, R&D institutions, companies and markets; it facilitates the creation and growth of innovation-based companies through incubation and spin-off processes; and provides other value-added services together with high quality space and facilities.". The Cabral-Dahab Science Park Management Paradigm, was first presented by Regis Cabral in ten points in 1990. According to this management paradigm, a science park must: "have access to qualified research and development personnel in the areas of knowledge in which the park has its identity; be able to market its high valued products and services; have the capability to provide marketing expertise and managerial skills to firms, particularly

small and medium-sized enterprises Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) or small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are businesses whose personnel and revenue numbers fall below certain limits. The abbreviation "SME" is used by many national agencies and international organiza ...

, lacking such a resource; be inserted in a society that allows for the protection of product or process secrets, via

patent A patent is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the legal right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention for a limited period of time in exchange for publishing an sufficiency of disclosure, enabling discl ...

s, security or any other means; be able to select or reject which firms enter the park". A science park should: "have a clear identity, quite often expressed symbolically, as the park's name choice, its logo or the management discourse; have a management with established or recognized expertise in financial matters, and which has presented long-term economic development plans; have the backing of powerful, dynamic and stable economic actors, such as a funding agency, political institution or local

university A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...

; include in its management an active person of vision, with the power of decision and with the high and visible profile, who is perceived by relevant actors in society as embodying the interface between

academia An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...

and

industry Industry may refer to: Economics * Industry (economics), a generally categorized branch of economic activity * Industry (manufacturing), a specific branch of economic activity, typically in factories with machinery * The wider industrial sector ...

, long-term plans and good management; and include a prominent percentage of

consultancy A consultant (from "to deliberate") is a professional (also known as ''expert'', ''specialist'', see variations of meaning below) who provides advice or services in an area of specialization (generally to medium or large-size corporations). Con ...

firms, as well as technical service firms, including laboratories and quality control firms". The

World Intellectual Property Organization The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO; (OMPI)) is one of the 15 specialized agencies of the United Nations (UN). Pursuant to the 1967 Convention Establishing the World Intellectual Property Organization, WIPO was created to pr ...

defines Science technology parks as territories usually affiliated with a university or a research institution, which accommodate and foster the growth of companies based therein through

and

open innovation Open innovation is a term used to promote an Information Age mindset toward innovation that runs counter to the secrecy and silo mentality of traditional corporate research labs. The benefits and driving forces behind increased openness have b ...

List of science parks

Some science parks include: * Dalan Technopark,

Yerevan Yerevan ( , , ; ; sometimes spelled Erevan) is the capital and largest city of Armenia, as well as one of the world's List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerev ...

, Armenia * Bioindustry Park Silvano Fumero,

Colleretto Giacosa Colleretto Giacosa is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Turin in the Italian region Piedmont, located about north of Turin. Colleretto Giacosa borders the following municipalities: Samone, Loranzè, Pavone Canavese, Parell ...

Piedmont Piedmont ( ; ; ) is one of the 20 regions of Italy, located in the northwest Italy, Northwest of the country. It borders the Liguria region to the south, the Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna regions to the east, and the Aosta Valley region to the ...

, Italy * NOVI Science Park,

Aalborg Aalborg or Ålborg ( , , ) is Denmark's List of cities and towns in Denmark, fourth largest urban settlement (behind Copenhagen, Aarhus, and Odense) with a population of 119,862 (1 July 2022) in the town proper and an Urban area, urban populati ...

, Denmark * National Science and Technology Park (NSTP),

Islamabad Islamabad (; , ; ) is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's tenth-most populous city with a population of over 1.1 million and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital Territory. Bu ...

, Pakistan * Abuja Technology Village,

Abuja Abuja (; , ) is the capital city of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, strategically situated at the geographic midpoint of the country within the Federal Capital Territory (Nigeria), Federal Capital Territory (FCT). As the seat of the Federal G ...

, Nigeria * Accra Digital Centre, Accra, Ghana * Birmingham Science Park Aston, Birmingham, England, United Kingdom * University of Warwick Science Park, Coventry, England, United Kingdom * Keele University Science & Business Park, Keele, England, United Kingdom *

York Science Park The York Science Park opened in 1991 and currently houses over 400 companies. The main 21 acre site is adjacent to Alcuin College, York, Alcuin College and contains the innovation centre and Biocentre with business focused on the tech and scien ...

, York, England, United Kingdom *

Catalyst Catalysis () is the increase in rate of a chemical reaction due to an added substance known as a catalyst (). Catalysts are not consumed by the reaction and remain unchanged after it. If the reaction is rapid and the catalyst recycles quick ...

, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom * Plymouth Science Park, Plymouth, England, United Kingdom * Isfahan Science and Technology Town (ISTT), Isfahan, Iran * Haasrode Research Park, Leuven, Belgium * Purdue Research Park, West Lafayette, Indiana, United States * Sonoran Oasis Research and Technology Park - developed around TSMC in Phoenix * Innovation Campus Lemgo,

Lemgo Lemgo (; ) is a university and old Hanseatic League, Hanseatic town in the Lippe district of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is situated between the Teutoburg Forest and the Weser Uplands, 25 km east of Bielefeld and 70 km west of H ...

, Germany * Johanneberg Science Park, Gothenburg, Sweden * Lindholmen Science Park, Gothenburg, Sweden * Sahlgrenska Science Park, Gothenburg, Sweden * Linköping Science Park,

Linköping Linköping ( , ) is a city in southern Sweden, with around 167,000 inhabitants as of 2024. It is the seat of Linköping Municipality and the capital of Östergötland County. Linköping is also the episcopal see of the Diocese of Linköping (Chu ...

, Sweden * Turku Science Park, Turku, Finland * Hong Kong Science Park, Pak Shek Kok, Hong Kong *

Hsinchu Science Park The Hsinchu Science Park (HSP; ) is an industrial park complex that originated as one campus straddled Hsinchu City, Hsinchu County, Chunan and Tongluo, later expanded to cover six campuses across Taiwan. It was established by the government of ...

, Hsinchu, Taiwan *

, North Carolina * NanKang Software Park * Advanced Manufacturing Park in

Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, situated south of Leeds and east of Manchester. The city is the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire and some of its so ...

Cambridge Science Park The Cambridge Science Park, founded by Trinity College, Cambridge, Trinity College in 1970, is the oldest science park in the United Kingdom. It is a concentration of science and technology related businesses, and has strong links with the nea ...

* NETPark, County Durham, England * Skolkovo Innovation Center, Moscow, Russia *

Nazarbayev University Nazarbayev University (NU) is an autonomous research university in Astana, Kazakhstan. It was founded by the former President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev in June 2010. It is an English-medium institution, with an international faculty an ...

Research and Innovation System * ABC Science Park in

Astana Astana is the capital city of Kazakhstan. With a population of 1,423,726 within the city limits, it is the second-largest in the country after Almaty, which had been the capital until 1997. The city lies on the banks of the Ishim (river), Ishim ...

, Kazakhstan * Innopolis, Kazan, Russia * Daedeok Innopolis, South Korea * Technology Centre Teknia, Kuopio, Finland * Technopark, Stellenbosch, South Africa * Bandung Techno Park, Bandung, West Java, Indonesia * Cimahi Techno Park,

Cimahi Cimahi () is a landlocked city located immediately west of the larger city of Bandung, in West Java Province, Indonesia and within the Bandung Metropolitan Area. It covers an area of 42.43 km2 and had a population at the 2010 Census of 541 ...

, West Java, Indonesia * Solo Techno Park,

Surakarta Surakarta (Javanese script, Javanese: , Pegon script, Pegon: ), known colloquially as Solo (Javanese script, Javanese: ; ), is a major List of regencies and cities of Indonesia, city in Central Java, Indonesia. The city adjoins Karanganyar Reg ...

, Central Java, Indonesia *

Sophia-Antipolis Sophia Antipolis is a 2,400 hectare science park, technology park in southeast France, and as of 2021 home to 2,500 companies, valued today at more than 5.6 billion euros and employing more than 38,000 people counting more than 80 nationalities. ...

, Côte d'Azur, France *

Technopark Zürich Technopark Zürich is a technopark research park based in the municipality of Zürich in the Canton of Zürich in Switzerland. History Technopark Zürich was established in 1993. Its stated purpose was to provide rooms, offices and other spac ...

, Zürich, Switzerland * Bagmane Tech Park, BangaloreKarnataka, India *

Technopark, Trivandrum Technopark is a technology park in Thiruvananthapuram in the state of Kerala, India. Established on 28 July 1990 by the Government of Kerala, under chief minister E K Nayanar, However, the government was unable to commence building. The next c ...

Trivandrum Thiruvananthapuram ( ), also known as Trivandrum, is the capital city of the Indian state of Kerala. As of 2011, the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation had a population of 957,730 over an area of 214.86 sq. km, making it the largest and ...

* Genome Valley, Hyderabad, Telangana, India *

Arfa Software Technology Park Arfa Software Technology Park (previously known as Software Technology Park) is a skyscraper building and information technology park at Ferozepur Road, Lahore, Pakistan. Built in 2009, it is home to the Information Technology University and ...

, Pakistan *

Cummings Research Park Cummings Research Park, located primarily in the city of Huntsville, Alabama is the second largest research park in the United States and the fourth largest in the world. It has a mixture of Fortune 500 companies, local and international high-tech ...

, Huntsville, Alabama * University of Wisconsin Research Park,

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is the List of municipalities in Wisconsin by population, second-most populous city in the state, with a population of 269,840 at the 2020 Uni ...

* Gateway University Research Park,

Greensboro, North Carolina Greensboro (; ) is a city in Guilford County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 299,035; it was estimated to be 307,381 in 2024. It is the List of municipalitie ...

* Amsterdam Science Park, Amsterdam, Netherlands *

Utrecht Science Park Utrecht Science Park (also known as De Uithof) is a neighbourhood in Utrecht and the largest science park in the Netherlands. It is located to the east of the city. It is the largest campus of Utrecht University. Apart from the faculties of Law, Hu ...

, Utrecht, Netherlands * WISTA Science and Technology Park, Berlin, Germany * Singapore Science Park, Singapore * ESADE Creapolis https://www.esadecreapolis.com/,

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

, Spain * Sofia Tech Park * Regional Science Centre and Science Park,

Jaipur Jaipur (; , ) is the List of state and union territory capitals in India, capital and the List of cities and towns in Rajasthan, largest city of the north-western States and union territories of India, Indian state of Rajasthan. , the city had ...

, Rajasthan

References

External links