The Next Generation of STPs: Continuing to Enhance the Triple Helix

When The Research Triangle Park was established, it represented one of the first economic development experiments. The founders set the foundation for the - triple helix - model, drawing upon synergies between North Carolinas academic, government and industry base to attract and grow research and development (R&D) operations.Throughout the last fifty years, science and technology parks (STPs) as an industry have followed the model and have created value by concentrating knowledge assets and connecting them to other parts of the economy.Going forward, different demands will drive STP development. Changes in the nature of science, shifts in R&D, the changing nature of work, and the continued global competition for talent will force STPs and other innovation centers to react accordingly. While the key mission of STPs will likely remain, the models through which they add value will change.This paper provides a context for such change and begins to build a framework for understanding the next model for STPs.