Ranked among the top US states for thriving business climates for over six years, according to Forbes, Utah's tech prowess, unicorn startups and public-private development makes the University of Utah Research Park the key location to begin the new decade. The University of Utah Research Park, dubbed Bionic Valley in the 1980's, residing in the region identified as Silicon Slopes, is a sleeping giant housing more than 48 companies alongside 81 academic departments and employs a workforce of more than 14,000 has a staggering annual impact to the regional economy. In addition, the Milken Institute's 2018 State Technology and Science Index ranked the state of Utah fifth in the US for its "capabilities and broader commercialization ecosystems that contribute to firm expansion, high-skills job creation and broad economic growth".