The University Economic Development Association is for economic development professionals who seek to connect with innovation ecosystem builder partners such as universities, community colleges, and other practitioners to learn best practices, gain recognition for their work, and better communicate their organization’s vital impact in building an inclusive economic ecosystem for their community. 

UEDA’s mission is to empower inclusive economic ecosystems through knowledge and best practices in the realms of talent, innovation, and place.

UEDA members represent those on the cutting-edge of modern economic development. The 21st-century economy has evolved into an entity that behaves much differently from its predecessors. Attracting established industry into your town is no longer a reliable route to prosperity.

Success in our modern economy is about innovation and entrepreneurship. It is about fostering talent in young people from preschool through life to embolden them to think and create outside the traditional academic or professional requirements. It is about creating environments that attract those people who want to make and do things in new ways and retains that talent  to start the process over again in the next generation.

Never before have academia, the private sector, and economic stakeholders been so reliant on one another to create economic opportunity. UEDA members work together to expand economic opportunity in their communities and regions by leveraging talent, innovation and place, and recognizing the interconnectedness of each of these elements.

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