For Innovators and Thought Leaders in the Economic Development Community

You're a leader in the field, a visionary, a big-picture thinker. You constantly seek new ideas and opportunities to do things differently. You don't want to just keep up with current challenges; you want to be ahead of the pack.

Where do you turn to find other economic developers like you? And how can you contribute to the progress of the profession?

For today’s thought leaders, there are few opportunities to engage in stimulating dialogue with peers about the future of economic development. That's why IEDC created the Economic Development Research Partners (EDRP) program.

The Opportunity to Direct Cutting-Edge Research

EDRP provides economic development leaders the chance to direct research that advances the profession as a whole.

This is research that isn't being done anywhere else. EDRP members discuss their research ideas, select topics to undertake and decide how to approach them. Every EDRP publication tackles its subject from the practitioner’s perspective, looking directly at how it affects the work of the economic developer.  

The result: You build your own knowledge base and drive the economic development profession forward - benefiting the economic developers of today and tomorrow, and the communities they serve.

Benefits of the EDRP Program

Part network, part think tank, the EDRP program is a unique opportunity for high-level professional development. EDRP members learn from each other while supporting the research process. As a member, you'll work toward solutions on key contemporary issues, such as:

• Identifying and accessing talent for communities
• Strengthening workforce systems
• Preparing for population and demographic changes
• Capitalizing on new technologies, networks and software
• Cutting-edge strategies for core areas of economic development practice
• New approaches for finding complementary partners and resources
• Preparing for risk and unforeseen challenges

Your annual membership to EDRP includes:

• Acknowledgement on the IEDC website, EDRP reports, conference programs and more
• Access to research data
• A dinner or luncheon exclusively for EDRP members at every conference
• Annual EDRP retreat

Annual Pricing
Organizational Cost: $4,500
Small Community (< 25,000 Population): $2,000
International Organization: $2,000
Retired Member: $500

For further information on EDRP membership, please contact the Membership team at [email protected].

Current Members