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Clarkson president in Washington to speak to panel about innovative ways of job creation and importance of congressional support

Posted 2/2/12

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Clarkson University President Anthony Collins was invited to discuss ways Congress can help strengthen local economies and create jobs in the North Country at the Democratic …

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Clarkson president in Washington to speak to panel about innovative ways of job creation and importance of congressional support

Posted

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Clarkson University President Anthony Collins was invited to discuss ways Congress can help strengthen local economies and create jobs in the North Country at the Democratic Steering and Outreach Committee meeting Wednesday.

Collins, a strong advocate for partnerships between higher education and industry that foster research, discovery and commercialization to advance sustainable energy solutions and technology innovation, focused his discussion on Clarkson’s Young Entrepreneurs programs and proposed ideas to help lower the cost of education while fostering entrepreneurship, as well as ways to support new start-up companies by relieving some of the burden of regulation.

“To drive innovation and ultimately job creation, universities should be encouraged to invest their resources in startup companies in a way that protects university not-for-profit status so that fledgling companies are more developed and have a better chance of survival as they exit the university environment and once they exit campus they should be protected for a reasonable period from the myriad of rules and regulations that are designed for much larger and more mature organizations,” Collins said. “By inviting my comments and those of a high tech company executive to testify Senator Gillibrand has clearly demonstrated that she gets the connection between university research and industry as the basis of the innovation economy.”

Collins is co-chair of the North Country Regional Economic Development Council, is the president of the Seaway Private Equity Corporation, which invests in new technology companies based in St. Lawrence County, and serves on the board of The Solar Energy Consortium, which mobilizes related resources in New York State.

The committee’s meeting showcased ways business and economic development leaders from across the country can strengthen the economy and create jobs by increasing access to capital for small businesses, and strengthening workforce development to broaden the pool of skilled workers.