KEYSTONE INNOVATION ZONE

One of Pennsylvania's most valuable resources is our phenomenal collection of colleges and universities. Another is the talented group of graduates who emerge from them every year, full of ability, energy and entrepreneurial ideas. Yet every year, thousands of those students take their diplomas and their abilities somewhere else, and Pennsylvania ends up being a leader in the export of talent. The Keystone Innovation Zones partnership makes us a leader in innovation instead.

KIZ Map (click for larger image)

KIZs represent a smart and sensible way to keep our young entrepreneurs living, working and driving economic growth in Pennsylvania, creating new opportunities for all of us.

These zones create knowledge neighborhoods, close to colleges, universities and training institutions to keep new graduates and budding entrepreneurs in the area. By focusing talent and resources in clusters, KIZs more or less transform these communities into technology incubators. Here, entrepreneurs will find an unbroken chain of ready resources, including research and peer groups, entrepreneurial support, venture capital and workforce and financial assistance. Theyll also be able to take advantage of partnerships between educational institutions, local leaders, banks, businesses, investors and foundations that already exist in the community. And most important of all, their new ideas and new businesses will drive our new economy, creating long lasting jobs and accelerating economic growth in the New Pennsylvania.

StartingGate's KEYSTONE INNOVATION ZONE PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS JANUARY 2006

In its first year of operation, StartingGate's main goal and objective is to clearly define niche market segments in the medical device industry and...

• Identify growth oriented companies capable of expanding into this market
  
• Services and technologies to foster the development of the small but emerging industry
  
• Build the economic infrastructure to sustain a competitive and industry sector in Beaver County and Southwestern Pennsylvania.
  

Employment opportunities

We are experiencing anticipated from growth coming from

KIZ programs impacting existing StartingGate companies,

• KIZ programs impacting existing StartingGate companies,
  
• Several KIZ partners along with other medical related business are evaluating business opportunities within the KIZ program.
  

Cluster Development

Having identified:

• Medical devices,
  
• Medial parts,
  
• Antimicrobial applications to surfaces and
  
• RFID for small businesses (a non medical area)
  

 

as strong areas of interest, we are engaging in a competitive cluster development plan to drive and accelerate growth in one or more of these areas.

As an example, we are initiating a project with a medical device remanufacturing company testing an antimicrobial application on to existing medical products. If successful this cluster will bring business and employment growth for several existing StartingGate companies and attract and grow other companies that can gain product benefits from this technology.

KIZ Partner Results

Several KIZ Partner initiatives are underway that focus university technology and expertise on KIZ companies resulting in prototype development, internship/job opportunities, business growth and new business opportunities..

 

• In September Geneva College engineering students began analyzing circuit board failure detection and repair options for an area medical device company as a year long class project.
  
• The engineering program at Robert Morris University has selected two medical device projects from Universal Medical Systems to be engineering class projects for this Spring.
  
• Two StartingGate companies are testing antimicrobial surface applications to build data in preparation for market testing. Geneva College is sponsoring and supporting an these tests.
  
• New Century Careers is reviewing a reverse engineering and manufacturing project for as a test to create a medical parts business.
  
• OVIS is a key partner with the KIZ to create a new medical device remanufacturing and parts company to serve medium to large medical centers.
  
• Other intern opportunities are expected from the University of Pittsburgh in support of the medical parts cluster and on site at StartingGate as these programs progress.
  

Other KIZ Partner initiatives

• Workforce training opportunities - as part of our service offering.
  
• OVR job creation to maximize job creation of lower-income, disabled residents through StartingGate's OVR Loan & Grant Fund.
  
• Build funding opportunities early stage gap financing, venture capital, and others.