An Association of University-Related Research Parks' survey shows the NDSU Research and Technology Park has much in common with university research/tech parks around the country. AURRP contacted 179 university tech/research parks in September 2002. The 87 parks that responded represent 3,400 tenants, 235,000 employees, and have a combined capital investment of just under $9 billion.

Like NDSU's Research Park, most university research parks are non-profit organizations managed outside of university systems. A little more than half - also like NDSU's park - are owned by universities, the other 45 percent are non-university owned. Funding for most parks is about half private, with the remainder of operating costs split by university and government. According to executive director Tony Grindberg, NDSU's park matches this funding profile.

The average Research Park has 41 tenants, with nearly half focused in medical and biotechnology fields. About a third are engaged in information technologies; 10 percent are engaged in aerospace and defense (NDSU has several large defense contracts). While NDSU's first major tenant was agricultural manufacturer Phoenix International, nationwide only 6 percent of university research parks are involved in agriculture.

Business/technology incubators can be found in more than 60 percent of university research parks. NDSU currently is engaged in a feasibility study to determine if the business climate and university culture will support an incubator.

"I find the results of this survey encouraging for several reasons," Grindberg said. "It shows that we have much in common with viable research parks and that that we are on track with some of our initiatives, like the business incubator and our vision for entrepreneurship."

Survey respondents said the greatest barriers to growth are lack of development and/or operations funding and lack of venture and seed capital. Again, Grindberg said the NDSU Research Park is in a good place because "we have positioned ourselves well with the best practices of other successful research parks around the nation."