State Of Arizona, Skysong, Ministry Of The Economy Of Mexico Form Cooperation Agreement

SCOTTSDALE (October 20, 2008) – The State of Arizona has signed a partnership deal with the Ministry of the Economy of Mexico to establish a general framework of interactions between the Ministry and the State, through SkySong, the ASU Scottsdale Innovation Center. Arizona is the first U.S. state to have such a broad-reaching agreement with the Mexican government.

As recently announced, as a part of this deal SkySong will work in partnership with the United States-Mexico Foundation for Science and the Ministry of the Economy of Mexico to operate a new business accelerator called TechBA Arizona. The joint venture will bring representatives of knowledge-based Mexican businesses to Arizona and provide them with office space and support for accelerating their businesses in the U.S. or international markets.

“This is a great partnership for Arizona. It will strengthen the alliances between Mexican and American companies, creating flexibility to access new markets,” said Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano.

ASU President Michael Crow knows the value of this relationship. “This agreement will allow companies to collaborate so that they can engage in technology transfer and commercialization activities, and benefit from the existing future economic flow of activity between Arizona and Mexico,” said Crow.

Julia Rosen, ASU associate vice president for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, added that the deal will help SkySong to grow Arizona’s economic development. “This will strengthen the infrastructure of innovation-related organizations as they support one another and are able to better compete in global markets,” said Rosen.

Marco A. López Jr., director of the Arizona Department of Commerce, said that as Arizona continues its efforts to increase foreign direct investment, “SkySong is an important global portal that provides a way for Mexican and other global entrepreneurs to access the U.S. market.”

Mexico’s commercial activity increased by 9% during 2007, representing 2.1% of overall commercial activity worldwide. Companies that are a part of key production chains such as renewable energy, electronics and advanced business services are a priority for Mexico’s economic policy.

SkySong, the ASU Scottsdale Innovation Center, is currently home to more than 40 enterprises from 11 countries, with clusters of companies in e-learning, information communications technologies, and sustainability. ASU-SkySong is an interactive business environment in which individual entrepreneurs, global and U.S. enterprises, ASU researchers, and community members connect to bring new services and technologies to the marketplace. For more information about ASU-SkySong, go to http://skysong.asu.edu

SkySong will ultimately consist of 1.2 million square feet of research, office, residential and retail space. Higgins Development Partners and Plaza Companies are co-developers of the project in partnership with Arizona State University Foundation and USAA Real Estate Company. Located at the intersection of Scottsdale and McDowell Road, two buildings totaling over 300,000 square feet are now open. For more information, visit www.skysongcenter.com

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Media contact:
Alison Bendler, ASU-SkySong
480-884-1654
480-241-0685 cell
alison.bendler@asu.edu