Summit Explores University Impact And Future Innovation In Corridor

SEMI Americas President and U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Speak to San Marcos-area leaders at 2017 Greater San Marcos Innovation Summit

San Marcos, Texas – Greater San Marcos Partnership (GSMP) and Texas State University will host the annual Greater San Marcos Innovation Summit on Tuesday, February 21^st, 2017, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.  at Embassy Suites in San Marcos.

“The Greater San Marcos Innovation Summit is a vehicle to promote and celebrate the cutting-edge research at Texas State University that is establishing our region as a leader in innovation,” said Adriana Cruz, President, Greater San Marcos Partnership. “The education and training happening in between Austin and San Antonio is a great complement to the work done in those large cities. The Greater San Marcos region is open for innovation and should be considered a major player in the entrepreneurial and technology ecosystems.”

Guests will hear from David Anderson, President, SEMI Americas, about future possibilities of the Greater San Marcos Innovation Corridor thanks to assets at Texas State University in addition to other strong elements, such as competitive cost of living, for technology and business in the region.

Molly Kocialski, Director, Rocky Mountain United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), will follow Anderson with special remarks on the current state of patents and trademarks in the United States.

Opening the program will be Dr. Denise Trauth, President, Texas State University, and 2017 GSMP Chair, who will deliver her annual State of the University address, and Mayor John Thomaides of The City of San Marcos, who will provide a special welcome.

The event will provide updates on many of the innovative efforts taking place at Texas State, including:

• STAR One and the STAR Park Incubator expansions and research;
• Research funding growth and impact at Texas State;
• Texas State Innovation Lab at South By Southwest 2017; and
• The expansion of the engineering program, construction of the new Ingram Hall and the launch of a Ph.D. program in Computer Science.

The winner of the 2017 Dick Burdick Award for Innovation in Business will be announced at the conclusion of the program. Past winners include MicroPower Global, Quantum Materials, and Thermon.

This event is open to the public. General admission tickets and tables are available for purchase at https://2017innovationsummit.splashthat.com/.

Immediately following the program will be a USPTO Intellectual Property Workshop at STAR Park. It will feature a presentation by Innovation Summit speaker Molly Kocialski, USPTO Patent Examiners and a panel of subject experts addressing strategies for quality patent filings. It is free of charge and will be held at the STAR One conference center (Room 173).