How the Research Triangle Region Promotes Connections in to Support Entrepreneurism

Startup businesses are an important engine of economic growth and innovation, accounting for nearly all net new job creation and almost 20 percent of gross job creation  in the United States.11   Globally, small  and  medium  enterprises  account  for  more  than  half  of all formal  jobs  worldwide.12   It is wellunderstood   that  startups   contribute   to  adynamic   economy   by improving competition,   creating innovative  new products,  and delivering  new services,  and regions  around  the world are working  to create the conditions to create a thriving startup ecosystem. However, it is difficult to understand the networks, resources, programs, and services that help them flourish.The Research Triangle Park (RTP), one of the oldest science and technology parks in the world, has contributed to the transformation  of the regional economy formed by the fast‐growing metro areas of Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA. Over the last decade, the 59‐year‐old  research park has been embarking on ways to better facilitate entrepreneurship within the park itself, in addition to the fast‐growing,  medium‐sized  cities that comprise the Triangle—Raleigh,  Durham and Chapel Hill. Currently,  a  variety  of  service  providers,  incubators,  events,  university  based  programs,  and  other relevant institutions  and programs support startups and entrepreneurs  in the region surrounding  RTP (see Figure 1).