Global Advantage

Give your company a competitive advantage in the global marketplace...

Global Advantage creates real-world solutions by meeting the challenges that businesses face. Whether it is finding business partners or customers, we help companies ranging from startups to large multinational corporations expand in the North American market as well as help domestic companies reach international markets.

The Global Advantage program is managed by Tech Parks Arizona which is part of the University of Arizona and Tech Launch Arizona. Tech Parks Arizona directs two university research parks – the UA Tech Park at Rita Road and the UA Tech Park at The Bridges as well as an incubator –the University of Arizona (UA) Center for Innovation. The parks offer office and laboratory facilities for technology companies of all sizes.

Global Advantage is a network of trusted partners with a wealth of expertise in international business. This trusted network provides companies with a complete suite of business support tools and a soft landing program, all from a very advantageous location within the NAFTA region – Tucson, Arizona.

Specifically, Global Advantage gives your company a competitive advantage by helping with:

Market Access
Product Development
Manufacturing Assistance
Business Development

Market Access

Located in Tucson, Arizona, Global Advantage provides access to major markets in the U.S. and North America: California including Los Angeles and San Diego to the west; the Sun Corridor including Phoenix; and the intermountain west including Las Vegas, Salt Lake City and Denver to the north; Texas including Dallas, Houston and San Antonio to the east; and northwest Mexico to the south.

The Arizona-Sonora region is located in a major trade corridor that reaches sixty-eight million customers in the United States and Mexico within a 1,000-mile radius. A robust integrated multimodal transportation system of air, rail, and roads connects all points.

Product Development

Global Advantage can help with every stage of product development, including:

research and development
proof of concept
prototyping
testing, evaluation, and demonstration

We help turn great ideas into successful businesses—and we help successful businesses grow bigger, better, and more productive.

Manufacturing Assistance

Global Advantage provides access to high-quality manufacturing facilities. Our diverse facilities everything from the first-generation production to large-scale manufacturing.

We empower your company to:

produce your products at a competitive price
distribute them throughout North American under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)

Business Development

Global Advantage provides a soft landing for international companies and for domestic companies interested in relocation or expansion.

We can:

help you find the space that meets your needs
connect you with suppliers, partners and business leaders who can help you reach your goals

Where Innovation Shines - Tucson, Arizona

Tucson is located in the Sonoran Desert and is the second-largest city in Arizona with a greater metropolitan area population of 1.1 million. When it comes to costs, Tucson is an excellent option because the cost of living and doing business is 10 percent lower than the national average. Tucson and Southern Arizona enjoy a high-quality lifestyle that is less expensive than major markets on the east and west coasts.

Tucson has a diverse workforce and industry strengths in sectors that include: aerospace and defense, bioscience, solar, mining, and transportation and logistics. Significant employers in these sectors include Raytheon Missile Systems, Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc., Sanofi Roche, Photometrics, Accelerate Diagnostics, Citi, OptumRx, and IBM.

The region’s aerospace and defense sector represent a major component of the greater Tucson, Arizona regional economy. Business Facilities magazine ranks the region as one of the top 6 areas in the U.S. for this industry.

Tucson is the fifth-best city for entrepreneurs in the U.S. according to Entrepreneur Magazine. It continues to receive significant national recognition for its entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystem because it has the strong foundation of resources necessary for launching new ventures. Money Magazine ranks Tucson as the fourth-best city for millennials.

Tucson is home to the University of Arizona (UA). The National Science Foundation ranks the UA in the top 20 for research and development expenditures among U.S. public universities and colleges and 33rd among U.S. public and private universities. The University of Arizona was ranked 68th among higher education institutions worldwide by the Center for World University Rankings.

The University of Arizona offers a wide variety of academic programs, many of which are among the nation’s best. Students can choose from more than 300 undergraduate and graduate degrees through 20 colleges and 11 schools on 3 campuses. The campus consists of 50,000 students and staff from around the world.

Key Industry Strengths

Key Industry Sectors - Copy.png

Our key industry strengths are built upon the University of Arizona’s research enterprise, the existing industry base in southern Arizona, and Tech Parks Arizona’s exceptional testing, evaluation and demonstration capabilities.

Tech Parks Arizona - Technology's Best Address

Tech Parks Arizona is designed to create Interactive Ground, a place that connects University, Community, and Industry in the pursuit of technology, innovation, and commercialization. Tech Parks Arizona is focused on developing innovation hubs that unite industry and research to advance leading-edge technology.

Tech Parks Arizona provides a platform for Global Advantage clients to test, validate, and demonstrate their technologies and products to the marketplace. For example, Tech Parks Arizona operates the Solar Zone, one of the largest multi-technology, grid-connected solar testing and demonstration sites in the United States.

The UA Tech Park is one of the nation’s premier research parks, typically rated among the top 10. Located in one of Arizona’s fastest-growing communities, the Park encompasses 1,345 acres and has almost 2 million square feet of space for high-tech offices, research and development, and laboratory facilities. It is the largest research park along the U.S.-Mexico border.

The UA Tech Park is a significant driver of the regional economy. UA Tech Park and its resident companies have an annual economic impact of $2.33 billion on the region’s economy. UA Tech Park remains one of the largest employment centers in the region hosting approximately 50 companies and organizations that employ nearly 6,000 skilled workers. The average salary of an employee at UA Tech Park is $91,145, which is twice the Pima County average of $46,363.

The UA Tech Park at The Bridges is located in central Tucson with direct access to the University of Arizona, Downtown Tucson, and Tucson International Airport. It encompasses 65 acres in central Tucson. The UA Tech Park at The Bridges is part of a larger mixed-use development that includes residential and retail development on 350 acres.

Tech Parks Arizona also directs the University of Arizona (UA) Center for Innovation, which provides business incubation and mentoring services. The UA Center for Innovation helps technology startups to develop and commercialize their ideas, discoveries, and inventions. This program provides high-quality facilities including office space, wet and dry lab laboratories, video conference rooms, and a secured computer server room. The UA Center for Innovation offers its clients a structured business development program called Mentored Launch, including workshops, seminars, and networking opportunities.

The Global Advantage - Customized Business Assistance

Global Advantage is a full-service, soft landings program managed by Tech Parks Arizona.

Each Global Advantage client will be teamed up with a business development associate who will interact with the company to design and execute a hands-on customized program of business development. Tech Parks Arizona staff will assist your company by providing:

Connections to the University of Arizona programs, faculty, students and facilities
Introductions to industry and community partners and collaborators
Assistance with business plans
Assistance with marketing analysis and marketing plans
Access to the local investment community
Assistance with event planning
Access to office, laboratory and production space
Participation in Arizona Center for Innovation (business incubator) programs and events
Access to executive suite services

Companies interested in participating in Global Advantage are asked to email globaladvantage@uatechpark.org for more information.

Global Advantage Partners

Global Advantage is comprised of partners that foster international business opportunities and include:

CAID Industries which specializes in diversification and being a vertically integrated solutions for engineering, custom fabrication, pressure vessels, large scale manufacturing, factory automation, precision machining, extensive mine technologies and services.

Farhang & Medcoff Attorneys a prominent minority-owned, full-service law firm with locations in Tucson and Phoenix, Arizona.

Cushman & Wakefield |PICOR an employee owned and founded commercial real estate business with properties in Southern Arizona and Sonora, Mexico.

Tech Parks Arizona which creates the place, environment, and interactive ground that generates, attracts and retains technology companies in alignment with the research, mission, and goals of the University of Arizona.

Tetakawi which provides manufacturing and technology companies with turnkey solutions to establishing world-class manufacturing environments in Mexico.

Tucson Electric Power which provides safe and reliable power to Tucson residents.