August 11 PickPima: Career exploration program launches, Border Counties advance priorities, OV partners with UACI to help startup

County Supervisors and regional leaders of the Arizona Border Counties Coalition (ABCC) discussed advancing shared infrastructure priorities and developing a unified voice for Arizona's border region at its quarterly meeting on July 17 at the Pima County Historic Courthouse.

Building Our Regional Narrative

A key focus of the meeting was launching ABCC’s unified regional narrative development initiative. County representatives identified numerous assets that make Arizona's border communities unique economic drivers, including robust trade partnerships, strategic geographic advantages, vibrant cultural heritage, and growing eco-tourism opportunities centered around national monuments and wildlife areas.

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The City of Tucson will receive 21,000 acre-feet of long-term water storage credits from the U.S. Department of the Interior, as administered by the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR), after a competitive bid process conducted in June 2025.

The BOR offered up to 30,000 acre-feet of stored effluent water for purchase within the Tucson Active Management Area. This water, recharged into the aquifer through managed recharge projects along the Santa Cruz River, is part of the BOR’s annual 28,200-acre-foot entitlement from regional wastewater facilities — held in trust under the Southern Arizona Water Rights Settlement Act of 1982 for tribal nations.

The University of Arizona Center for Innovation(UACI) announced that Darya Pharmaceuticals was selected as the winning company for the UACI Sponsored Launch Fueled by the Oro Valley Chamber of Commerce and Town of Oro Valley.

Darya Pharmaceuticals will receive a one-year sponsored entry into UACI at Oro Valley, the bioscience focused incubator location, which includes resources, specialized facilities, services and expert guidance to grow their business. The UACI Program Roadmap© will help them with everything from refining their business models to obtaining funding through a comprehensive guide and structured programming.

Fusion energy is no longer just a scientist’s dream, says Lukas Gruber, a business development executive at Leonardo Electronics US Inc. in Tucson. “It’s within reach.”

University of Arizona President Suresh Garimella and Senior Vice President for Research and Partnerships Tomás Díaz de la Rubia agree. They are among a growing number of scientists who believe that fusion energy — the process that powers the sun, fusing hydrogen atoms under extreme heat and pressure — could become a limitless source of clean energy. Like many in the field, they are increasingly optimistic about the feasibility and timeline for its broad commercialization.

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