Business honors
UD president receives Small Business Administration award
11:48 a.m., June 13, 2011--The U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Delaware District Office presented University of Delaware President Patrick T. Harker with the Outstanding Advocacy of Small Business Award at the Delaware Small Business Week awards dinner held Tuesday, June 7, at the Executive Banquet and Conference Center in Newark.
"I'm deeply honored to receive this award from the SBA,” Harker said. “Twenty years from now, the people driving economic growth in this country won't be those in billion-dollar companies; they'll be our entrepreneurs. And that fact has driven the University's efforts in technology transfer, commercialization, and economic innovation. We're excited to help grow the state's small business community and seed more opportunities for partnership and prosperity."
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The award recognizes Harker’s leadership in expanding UD's economic development role in the Delaware small business community. SBA cited his support of research, development and commercialization opportunities under SBA’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program, re-development of the former Chrysler plant site at the UD Science and Technology Campus and potential business partnerships at Aberdeen Proving Ground as major reasons for his recognition.
“Dr. Harker understands the critical role that academia plays in economic development,” said Jayne Armstrong, district director of the SBA’s Delaware District Office. “Under his leadership the University of Delaware is contributing to the state’s economic diversification with a greater focus on small business than ever before.”
UD, the Delaware Economic Development Office and private sector organizations provide matching funds to SBA’s federal funding in support of the Delaware Small Business Technology Development Center (SBTDC). As an SBA resource partner, the SBTDC program, a unit of UD's Office of Economic Innovation and Partnerships, provides counseling and training services to entrepreneurs throughout the state.
Last year the Delaware SBTDC program received its technology certification from the Association of Small Business Development Centers and became an integral program under the University’s Office of Economic Innovation and Partnerships. The office focuses on turning research discoveries into marketable innovations to support small business start-ups.
SBA also honored Ray Yin, founder and chief technology officer of Newark-based ANP Technologies, with the SBIR Achievement Award. ANP previously received SBA’s Tibbetts Award in February recognizing its work with the Department of Defense in developing the rapid handheld biological agent detection system. Although designed for military use, the technology has commercial applications in medical diagnostics and biological drug development.
“ANP has a close working relationship with the University of Delaware related to its SBIR work,” said Armstrong. “ANP’s growth best demonstrates Delaware’s economic future as we continue to leverage resources and build strong partnerships between academia and small business.”
Photo courtesy SBA Delaware District Office