Murrieta Welcomes New UCR Vice-Chancellor with Luncheon

The City of Murrieta hosted a luncheon Aug. 29 for approximately 80 guests at to welcome Michael Pazzani, the new vice chancellor of Research and Economic Development for the University of California, Riverside (UCR).

The audience was comprised of community leaders, business owners and representatives from UCR, Loma Linda Hospital, BIOCOM and San Diego’s CONNECT Organization. 

“Murrieta is poised and ready for business growth from Orange County and San Diego,” said Murrieta Mayor Doug McAllister at the luncheon. “We want Vice Chancellor Pazzani and UCR to know that Murrieta is here and we are eager to do what it takes to further build an innovation economy.”

The luncheon was also hosted by Swenson Advisors and a new private sector group, InSoCal CONNECT. InSoCal CONNECT was created to expand the best practices of San Diego CONNECT, with the goal of accelerating innovation and assisting the expansion, formation and development of technology companies to this area.

The theme of the luncheon, “The Perfect Time” is indicative of a wealth of ideas coming to fruition at once: Murrieta creating a business incubator/accelerator, the “Murrieta Regional Technology Innovation Center;” the creation of InSoCal Connect to help facilitate the expansion, formation and development of technology companies in this area; inclusion of the Murrieta/Temecula Valley and the addition of Vice Chancellor Pazzani to UCR.

“I am really impressed by the visionary leadership of Murrieta,” said Vice Chancellor Pazzani during his presentation at the luncheon. “For a government to have such a focus on innovation is incredible to me.” 

Pazzani has just left his position as vice president of Research and Economic Development at Rutgers. In that role since 2005, he has overseen sponsored research, technology transfer, corporate partnerships, and laboratory services. Before joining Rutgers, where he was also a professor of computer science, he was the director of Information and Intelligent Systems in the Division of Computer and Information Science and Engineering at the National Science Foundation.

"We are really excited to be working in partnership with the new InSoCal CONNECT private sector leadership organization to actively promote the further growth of Murrieta  as a community that welcomes additional high technology companies," said Bruce Coleman, director of economic development for the city of Murrieta. "Murrieta particularly supports the partnership with UCR to encourage the commercialization of technology from the University to the Murrieta/Temecula area."

Companies seeking to be a part of the Murrieta/Temecula Valley growth opportunity were asked to contact Bruce Coleman at 951-461-6021 or Kimberly Davidson, business development manager for the city, at 951-461-6003.

—Submitted by Kimberly Davidson, city of Murrieta