Regional Collaboration

Regional collaboration sets SPARK to Greater Ann Arbor Innovation
May 23, 2005

A super-group of entrepreneurial, university, business, government and community leaders is banding together to form SPARK, an umbrella economic development and marketing organization for the greater Ann Arbor region.

Organizers say the idea has caught fire -- in less than six months SPARK has garnered commitments of more than $2 million toward a $3 million, 3-year operating goal, and have additional informal pledges exceeding this funding target. The University of Michigan has pledged $1 million over five years to support the enterprise.

President Mary Sue Coleman will lead a community-wide celebration of the launch of SPARK this Thursday, May 26th in downtown Ann Arbor.

SPARK’s goal is to double the number of technology companies and triple the number of technology jobs in the region by 2010, making the greater Ann Arbor region a hub of entrepreneurial energy and a great place to work, live and create or grow a business. SPARK is aimed at high-tech companies built on innovation. That includes biotech, information tech, small tech, energy, advanced manufacturing and security.

SPARK’s staff of professionals will offer five primary services to new and emerging high tech businesses and organizations: business acceleration, business outreach, talent development , early-stage funding, and regional marketing and events. SPARK will assist and leverage existing organizations to deliver these services with quality, highly effective resources. The new organization is an umbrella group that will partner with existing organizations and help them coordinate their efforts.

SPARK’s stakeholders are a public-private mix of the region’s universities, businesses, state and local governments and entrepreneurial membership organizations. Additional funding has been provided by private foundations as well. The organization is a 501(c)3 non-profit.

The impetus for this regional effort grew out of a discussion held last year by the University of Michigan’s Tech Transfer National Advisory Board. The board members advised U-M President Mary Sue Coleman that for the university’s tech transfer efforts to reach full potential, the greater Ann Arbor region needed to become a more fertile ground for innovation and business creation, with a matching reputation to attract additional talent and resources. “We decided to establish this region’s national identity as a hot spot for innovation and entrepreneurial energy and the development of technology talent,” said Coleman. “I’m delighted at the progress we have made since we launched this project in November, originally as ‘Ann Arbor TechCentral.’ Now, with our new name, Ann Arbor SPARK, an impressive set of collaborative partners and an exciting mission, we have accelerated our path to innovation and success.”

The University of Michigan and the applied research at Eastern Michigan University have put this area on the map and are seen as the source of the ideas and people that will drive the 21st Century economy, according to Rick Snyder, chairman of SPARK and chief executive officer and founder of Ardesta LLC, a portfolio of small technology companies. “SPARK will enhance our business environment to enable people to bring their ideas to market, build new enterprises and create jobs here in Michigan.”

Washtenaw County Executive Robert Guenzel said SPARK is going to speed the region’s transition to a new, knowledge-based economy. “Washtenaw County’s economy has long been a bright spot in Michigan because of its diversified base,” Guenzel said. “But the continued growth and well-being of the region relies on innovation in 21st Century businesses that will take us beyond a manufacturing economy.”

“The universities are the engines of innovation that will move this new economy forward,” said Fawwaz Ulaby, vice president for research at the U-M. “But we want to do more to help those innovations thrive locally. We sense that there is currently an overflow of breakthrough research at U-M and EMU that has not been fully exploited by the region’s existing entrepreneurial business environment.”

SPARK will be headquartered in downtown Ann Arbor at 330 E. Liberty, the ground floor of which is being renamed SPARK Central. Technology organizations as the Ann Arbor IT Zone, MichBio and U-M TechStart will join the SPARK staff in this office and networking space, which also houses several entrepreneurial programs. The public launch of SPARK will also be held at 4pm on Thursday, May 26th at SPARK Central.

For more information or to register for the May 26 event, please contact info@annarborspark.org.