Critical Success Factors For Creation Of Technopolis Communities And Creation Of The Central Florida Technopolis

Technopolis communities are sprouting up all over the world and are creating a profound impact on global economic landscapes. Today’s global economy can be characterized by increasing globalization, heightened interdependency and the emergence of a new paradigm of regional, institutional and technological clusters which facilitate innovation and its commercialization called the “Technopolis Phenomenon”. This paper reviews research done on creation of Technopolis communities and highlights exemplary best practices from Technopolis communities around the world such as Silicon Valley, Boston, Austin, Ireland, Bangalore, Taiwan, Sophia-Antipolis, and others. The role of academia-industry-government collaboration in creation of Technopolis communities is discussed in detail. This involves sustained, collaborative efforts by academics, industry representatives, Entrepreneur Support Organizations (ESOs), Economic Development Organizations (EDOs), engineers, entrepreneurs, investors, and other practitioners to develop initiatives, plans, methodologies, infrastructure, and action items for Technopolis creation. The authors' experiences in attempting to create a Technopolis community in Central Florida from Florida Tech on the Space Coast, through UCF and the Orlando Metropolis to USF and Tampa on the Gulf Coast to add experiential insights for program implementation and effectiveness. Engineering education programming linking academic / continuing education programs with experiential entrepreneurship and community outreach activities is emphasized. Critical Success Factors for Technopolis creation are identified.