Partners in success

The Greater San Marcos Partnership and Texas State University collaborated for the Fifth Annual Greater San Marcos Innovation Summit that took place Tuesday at the Embassy Suites San Marcos Conference Center.

Leaders in higher education institutions and military technologies discussed the future of innovation both regionally and nationally and how to feasibly translate academic research into functional innovation.

Speakers included San Marcos Mayor John Thomaides, Texas State University President Dr. Denise Trauth and Lt. Gen. Paul Ostrowski of the new Army Futures Command.

Thomaides opened the summit by discussing the use of partnerships and collaboration – between city and county, city and university and city and private institutions – and Innovation Districts to help direct and encourage the burgeoning growth of the Interstate 35 Corridor. The city has designated two areas as Innovation Districts – the downtown and STAR Park, Texas State University’s first building dedicated to the university’s research and commercialization efforts.

“These two areas were chosen because they are where leading-edge anchor institutions and companies cluster and have a border with the city,” Thomaides said. “So we connect, we see startups and business incubators and accelerators happening in these areas.”

According to Thomaides, Innovation Districts are chosen because they are compact areas that have the ability to be transit accessible, technologically wired and offer a large amount of mixed-use housing, office and retail space.

“Cities around the globe, and San Marcos in particular, have created these innovation districts to boost their competitive advantage in the knowledge-based economy and to stimulate job growth  and investment in targeted locations,” Thomaides said.

Dr. Trauth focused her speech on the impacts that research, commercialization and innovation coming out of Texas State can have on more than just the regional economy, but how they can solve real world problems and improve the quality of life in sectors like health, environmental conservation and public safety. 

“We have the power to leverage technology to enhance public safety, the environment, energy efficiency and ultimately our quality of life,” Trauth said. “From developing new products to conducting groundbreaking health research to leveraging smart infrastructure technology, we are proud to be a at the forefront of innovation.”

Lt. Gen. Paul Ostrowski of the new Army Futures Command.

Keynote Speaker Ostrowski of the new Army Futures Command discussed how modernizing the U.S. Army by developing new military technologies to speed innovation to the battlefield, and how this affects the region and country.

Ostrowski spoke about how the U.S. has been at war for the last 17 years, meaning that those that will soon be joining the ranks of the armed services were not even born when Sept. 11, 2001 left the country standing still. He spoke about the change that is coming to warfare; that it will be fought in multiple domains – air, land, maritime, cyber and even space – and how collaboration between the Department of Defense with private and academic institutions is leading the way for those innovations.

“We went searching for opportunity to get out to the companies that did not do business with us all these years. Of the 23 million companies that are in the United States of America, roughly 5,000 do business with the Department of Defense,” Ostrowski said. “That’s 22,995,000 companies that we are missing out on.”

To make those collaborations, the Army Futures Command headquartered itself in Austin in the Interstate 35 Corridor – or the Innovation Corridor. 

“If we  are  going to continue to be the most  situationally-aware and well-protected army that has ever walked the face of the Earth, we have to begin now right here in the Innovation Corridor in Texas,” Ostrowski said.

The 2018 Innovation Summit also featured a panel of leaders from the higher education institutions including Vice Dean of Health Ecosystem and Associate Professor at  University of Texas Dell Medical School Dr. Mini Kahlon, Associate Vice President for Research and Federal Relations at Texas State University Dr. Walter Horton and Sr. Vice President of Economic Development at University of Texas in San Antonio Robert McKinley. The panel was moderated by Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Texas State University Dr. Gene Bourgeois.

They discussed how their institutions are working collectively to drive the future of the regional economy and how they translate academia and research into business and technological innovations that have an impact. Dr. Kahlon said the first step for impactful innovation begins with academia and research expanding into the entrepreneurial community.

“Innovation that remains a thought is great, but without impact it has no meaning,” Dr. Kahlon said. “In fact, in any of the areas, it’s an important role for us to take those aspirations and come up with very specific ways for testing what collaboration looks like to pursue innovation. We came in and we were able to immediately work with existing strengths in the university. We have now expanded in Central Texas.”

This expansion into the entrepreneurial community is often called commercialization and according to Dr. Horton, universities aren’t always in the “sweet spot” to carry out commercialization of research; their strength often lies in creating the raw product. But creating partnerships with for-profit entities creates a tech-transfer relationship that is more likely to bring research to fruition.

The panel took a few questions from the audience towards the end. In particular, a business marketing and computer science major at Texas State University asked if the panelists saw the Innovation Corridor in Texas headed down the same path as Silicon Valley

“I think there is something different here, Dr. Kahlon said. “I came from there and I can tell  you we absolutely need to be different. I am from a city where no one could live, where artists and the creative folks could not be based because of the cost of living. I would say forget Silicon Valley, what are we creating?”

The summit was concluded with the recognition of Bautex Systems with the 2018 Dick Burdick Award. 

Bautex Systems has created innovative solutions for building energy-efficient commercial structures at costs that are competitive with traditional construction. Using the Bautex Block, builders can construct storm-and fire-resistant wall systems that can cost-effectively compete with traditional construction methods while offering superior energy efficiency and enhanced design capabilities. Bautex Systems, LLC is headquartered in San Marcos and serves commercial builders throughout the southwest United States.