Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What is the mission of Innovation Park at Penn State?

A. The mission of Innovation Park at Penn State is to provide space, access to Penn State researchers and facilities, and business support services that help companies transfer the knowledge within the University to the market place and to foster economic development. Innovation Park is the catalyst that can make this happen. It is the place where collaboration between the University and private sector companies can grow. Penn State has a long history of working with industry, and speaks the language of business. Of a total annual research budget of $440 million, $75 million was in industry-sponsored research.

Q. What facilities are at Innovation Park?

A. Innovation Park is 118 acres designated for business development, including incubating start up companies through mature corporations, as well as amenities to support businesses and their employees. Facilities at the Park include:

• Business incubator
• Material Research Institute class 10 clean room and materials characterization lab
• The Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel
• Daybridge Child Care
• Penn State’s technology transfer organization
• Multi tenant and single tenant facilities built to meet the tenants’ real estate needs for office, lab and manufacturing space

Q. What services are provided to Park tenants?

A. Businesses can look to the staff at Innovation Park, and its support team to provide:

• Technical consultation
• Access to public and private funding sources.
• Facilitation of research collaborations between university and industry partners
• Commercialization of technology
• Intellectual property services like patent and licensing assistance
• Marketing consultation.
• Business and strategic planning assistance.
• Business incubation.

Q. Who are the partners at Innovation Park?

A. Innovation Park provides a full range of business support services with their partners in Penn State’s technology transfer team and local and state economic development organizations: (see business support page for links)

• Penn State Research and Technology Transfer Organization
• Small Business Development Center
• Ben Franklin Partnership of Central and Northern Pennsylvania
• Pennsylvania Technical Assistance Program (PennTAP)
• Industrial Research Office
• Intellectual Property Office
• Research Commercialization Office
• The Chamber of Business and Industry of Centre County
• Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development

In addition, Innovation Park works closely with the many faculty and research centers housed at the University Park campus.

Q. Where is Innovation Park located? (see the location page)

A. Innovation Park is adjacent to Penn State’s University Park campus, at the interchange of I99 and U.S. Route 322. It is minutes from the University Park Airport, which offers multiple daily flights to Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Washington, D.C., and Detroit.The Park is within a day’s drive of major North American markets — New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Washington, Baltimore and Toronto.