Partnerships will drive innovation, Clemson officials tell conference

Published: December 6, 2011

CHARLESTON — Such is the importance of South Carolina’s SmartState program to the state’s economic vitality that its three research universities must collaborate to attract new talent and to keep the stars of the future who are born and raised here.

Peter D. Beattie, special adviser for economic policy at Clemson University and former premier of the state of Queensland, Australia, told the 2011 SmartState S.C. Centers of Economic Excellence conference Tuesday that Clemson University, the Medical University of South Carolina and the University of South Carolina are key economic drivers in South Carolina.

Together they can deliver a powerful message about the value of the SmartState program, and in so doing establish the endowed chairs it supports as part of the state's economic fabric.

“If the endowed chairs aren’t considered part of the community, they will leave,” Beattie said. “If they are considered part of the state’s economic engine, they will stay in South Carolina. They will innovate, and they will attract new talent.”

The two-day conference at Charleston Place Hotel, “Realizing a Knowledge-Based Economy: Bridging Academia, Government and Industry,” showcased the significant economic development successes of the SmartState program.

John Kelly, Clemson University vice president for economic development, said the value of such innovation is evident statewide.

At Clemson alone, the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research in Greenville and the Restoration Institute in North Charleston are examples of such innovation at work. The research at these sites would not have happened had South Carolina failed to invest in its knowledge-based economy, Kelly said.

The campuses are built on a foundation of collaboration, Kelly said. Whether such partnerships are formed with private industry or with fellow academic institutions, the three universities must partner “all the way down the system,” he said.

He pointed to recent initiatives announced by Clemson and its partners to elevate the state’s workforce to meet the needs of South Carolina’s 21st-century manufacturing industries. They include the development of the Clemson University Center for Workforce Development for aviation and automotive technology, a partnership that creates National Science Foundation Advanced Technological Education satellite resource centers at Florence-Darlington Technical College, Greenville Technical College and Trident Technical College.

“We have bright people in South Carolina,” Kelly said. “Let’s put them to work in South Carolina.”

Kelly spoke on a panel called “Knowledge-Based Economic Development: Making It Happen.” The panel, moderated by Anita Zucker, chief executive of The Intertech Group, included Raymond Greenberg, president of the Medical University of South Carolina, and Harris Pastides, president of the University of South Carolina.

Other conference speakers included S.C. Department of Commerce Secretary Bobby Hitt and executives from AT&T, General Electric, Michelin, the  U.S. Federal Reserve, the U.S. Department of Commerce and the Consulate General of Israel to the Southeast.

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