Straight talk with...David Baker

Thirty years ago, technology companies began nestling their facilities close to academia, and the idea of the university research park was born. Soon after, the concept took off in the field of medicine, and today it's not hard to find such innovation hubs that house biomedical startups drawing on the brainpower of professors and students alike. In late September, the Tucson, Arizona-based Association of University Research Parks--which includes about 170 research parks--announced that David Baker would serve as president of the organization's board of directors for the next year and help guide its strategic goals for the next five years. Baker, who is also the executive director of the University Technology Park at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago, spoke with Roxanne Khamsi about how the organization hopes to branch out and transform these workplaces.