Arkansas and its abundance of earthly-made resources make it the undisputed Natural State. It is more than a motto stamped on a license plate. It is ingrained in the Arkansas identity and economy. From the state’s extensive network of bicycle trails and campsites to its abundant stores of lithium and agricultural-rich soil, Arkansas has embraced nature as a superpower, and it has served the state well.
Why be limited to one superpower? A new report commissioned by Arkansas Research Alliance and conducted by TEConomy Partners makes it clear that sophisticated, forward-thinking research and development also drives the state. Between soybean plains and rolling mountain ranges lies a foundation for a second economic driver: innovation.
“This report is a deep dive into Arkansas’ innovation pipeline and ecosystem, aligning them with industry opportunity areas,” said Ryan Helwig, principal and project director at TEConomy Partners.
The report, Enabling an Innovation-Led Future for Arkansas: University Research Competencies Aligned with Industry Growth Opportunities, is freely available at aralliance.org. More than a year in the making, the study uses a combination of quantitative tools and qualitative approaches to reveal where universities offer a critical mass of specialized, industry-facing research strengths that match with demonstrated areas of business investment needs and market forces.
On the university research side, machine-learning algorithms examined more than 20,000 peer-reviewed publications and 500 grant awards totaling more than $350 million to reveal distinct capabilities of scientific and technical excellence. On the industry side, a review of employment size, concentration and growth rates relative to the national average, 6,000 patent applications, venture capital investment, and $360 million in industrial research and development spending identified the state’s leading traded-sector industries. Together, the findings were tested with a diverse project advisory group and more than 60 interviews with leaders in economic development, academia and the private sector.
“What we hope is that when you look at the report, you see yourself in it,” said Bryan J. Barnhouse, president and CEO of ARA. “We believe that by working together, we can leverage innovation to help Arkansas compete globally, sustain the state’s leading industries and create new industries of the future.”
Working together is a key component to the report. Starting at the nexus of Arkansas’ industrial strengths and the state’s research competencies, the report offers a line of sight to technology-based economic development and job-creating research by identifying seven growth opportunities. The opportunities include supply chain and consumer analytics, the software and hardware of transportation and logistics systems, materials engineering and manufacturing, and precision agricultural sciences and food production and their implications on integrated health, along with population health and clinical and translational research — areas of expertise that are not only deeply imbedded in Arkansas’ economy but where the data show Arkansas can assume global leadership.
“The growth opportunities we identified align Arkansas’ research assets and expertise with our state’s industry needs and innovation drivers,” Helwig said.
This is not a projection for the decades to come. The opportunities are being leveraged now. For example, Dr. Min Zou, professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville and an ARA Academy member, developed low-friction, durable, graphite-based coatings for industrial conveyor systems. That resulted in a collaboration between Zou’s team and researchers at Arkansas State University and Hytrol Conveyor Co., the largest conveyor manufacturer in the United States. The report serves as a foundation to identify many more high-value collaboration opportunities.
That kind of problem-solving, practical application of research leads to innovation-led economic development. Together, Arkansas can build upon ARA’s 15-year history of catalyzing job-creating research to jumpstart the state’s innovation economy. It is ready and waiting.
Over the next months, we will take a closer look in this space at each of the seven growth opportunities identified by the report, revealing streams of economic leadership that already have a strong foundation in Arkansas. Ultimately, the report will show that Arkansas is still the Natural State, where innovation comes naturally.
Discovery Economics is a monthly feature highlighting the work of the Arkansas Research Alliance’s ARA Academy of Scholars and Fellows, a community of strategic research leaders who strive to maximize the value of discovery and progress in the state. Learn more at ARAlliance.org.
FEATURE PHOTO TOP: Bryan Barnhouse presented the results of the ARA report in September. (Photo courtesy of ARA)
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