In January 1959, a group of visionary North Carolina leaders established the Research Triangle Park (RTP).

The idea was to create a place that could draw upon the strengths of the region's three research universities and create scientific discovery that would impact the lives of people around the world.

Fifty years later, RTP is the largest and longest-operating research park in North America, with more than 170 tenant companies involved in a broad range of research and development activities. It remains the economic engine that fuels business growth for the 13-county Research Triangle Region of North Carolina.

"Our region is one of the nation's strongest and most innovative, thanks to RTP," says Charles A. Hayes, president and CEO of the Research Triangle Regional Partnership, which coordinates economic development for the region that includes and surrounds the park. "The park's early successes in attracting IBM as its first tenant and, later, the predecessor pharmaceutical company to GlaxoSmithKline provided the foundation for our region's now-world-leading life science and technology clusters."

Moore County is a part of the Research Triangle Regional Partnership.

Just as RTP's founders set lofty goals of creating an engine for the economic growth for the region and state, the current park leadership and tenants strive to continue RTP's success.

"We can't just sit still and expect our legacy of success to continue," says Rick Weddle, president and CEO of the Research Triangle Foundation, which owns and develops RTP. "Regions around the globe have recognized the importance of building a knowledge-asset-based economy and many are closing the park's current leadership gap."

As peer science and research parks set new standards for concentrating research and development (R&D) activities, RTP has evolved to meet the changing needs of its stakeholders.

For the first 50 years, RTP concentrated on attracting R&D companies.

During the next 50 years, RTP will make itself more attractive to companies and the talent they employ, concentrating on amenities and programs that make RTP a community that encourages and promotes innovation, a news release said.

In addition, RTP will strengthen its connections throughout the region and state. Regions that are fully integrated and use knowledge and its applications as the major driver in economic development will fare best in the challenging global environment.

The 13-county Research Triangle Region and the state of North Carolina have a solid foundation for building such a "knowledge ecosystem." Going forward, RTP will strengthen those relationships and identify appropriate new partners.

The N.C. Research Park Network is one of the best examples of such outreach.

"The network will enable its members to brand and locate technology resources across the state," says Bill Dean, chairman of the N.C. Research Parks Network and director of the Piedmont Triad Research Park. "Together we will address trends and challenges to keep North Carolina competitive in the future."

RTP, created through a collaborative effort of Duke University, North Carolina State University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, provided one of the first models for research parks. Subsequently, several other examples and models have developed across North Carolina. These include:

n Carolina North -- a planned campus located at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to foster and house researchers, students and faculty of the university.

n Centennial Campus established at North Carolina State University to provide a complementary space for university faculty, students and research centers with industry and government counterparts.

n The Charlotte Research Institute -- an initiative spurred by the UNC Charlotte to accelerate the university's development as a top-tier research university.

n Gateway University Re-search Park -- a joint research campus in collaboration with North Carolina A&T State University and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

n The North Carolina Research Campus -- currently being planned and constructed in Kannapolis with the support of seven North Carolina universities.

n The Piedmont Triad Research Park -- created in Winston-Salem with the objective of redeveloping the downtown area for research purposes, complementary to the strengths of Wake Forest University in the health sciences.

The park's anniversary celebration began with the dedication of the new RTP headquarters last year.

Several other events are planned to celebrate the 50-year milestone, including the hosting of the XXVI International Association of Science Parks (IASP) World Conference in June. The conference will bring together more than 800 technology-led economic development professionals and stakeholders from around the world.

"I am very happy that RTP has been granted the organization of our 2009 World Conference," says Luis Sanz, director general and CEO of the IASP. "RTP is undoubtedly a leader in our industry and one of the best-known science parks in the world. We are confident that we will have a great and successful international conference, which will mirror the growing importance of research, science and technology parks as powerful tools for regional and local development within the context of the knowledge-based economy."