Oregon Innovation Council - 2007 Innovation Plan. Oregon Governor Signs $28.2M Innovation Plan
| July 30, 2007 |  View for printing |
Throughout the course of human history, people have found new ways to meet their needs by inventing, applying and trading new technologies. But recent advances in telecommunication technologies—including the internet—along with the global shift toward open, market-based economies have made innovation “the single most important ingredient in any modern economy.”
“The real source of wealth and capital in this new era is not material things. It is the human mind, the human spirit, the human imagination and our faith in the future.” – Steve Forbes , President & CEO, Forbes Inc .
Full Plan: http://www.oregoninc.org/InnoPlan.pdf
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Oregon lawmakers have agreed to fund nearly all of Gov. Ted Kulongoski’s innovation proposals, including investments in seven new industry initiatives and the creation of two new signature research centers. The innovation plan passed by lawmakers falls $10 million short of the original $38 million proposal introduced by the Oregon Innovation Council and included in Gov. Kulongoski’s fiscal year 2007-09 budget released in December 2006 (see the Dec. 18, 2006 issue of the Digest) http://www.ssti.org/Digest/2006/121806.htm#Oregon.
Gov. Kulongoski signed four bills encompassing the initiative, Senate Bills 5508 http://www.leg.state.or.us/07reg/mea ... 5508.en.pdf , 579 http://www.leg.state.or.us/07reg/mea ... 0579.en.pdf and 582 http://www.leg.state.or.us/07reg/mea ... 0582.en.pdf and House Bill 5035 http://www.leg.state.or.us/07reg/mea ... 5035.en.pdf . SB 5508 includes $9 million over the biennium for Oregon’s first signature research center, the Oregon Nanoscience and Microtechnologies Institute (ONAMI) - $1 million less than the governor’s recommendation - and $2.5 million for a new signature research center, the Bio-Economy and Sustainable Technologies (BEST) Center. Research conducted by the BEST Center will focus on clean energy, bio-based products and green building.
Additionally, SB 5508 includes $2.9 million to support manufacturing competitiveness, such as advanced training and R&D to ensure a competitive workforce, and $4.2 million for the Wave Energy initiative to help build a sustainable industry on the Oregon coast by using ocean waves to generate electricity. The Food Processing Innovation and Productivity Center will receive $3.4 million for R&D and training.
Funding for the state’s second new signature research center is designated within HB 5035. The legislation includes $5.25 million for the Oregon Translational Research and Drug Development Institute to develop and commercialize new drugs to fight infectious diseases. The institute also will provide access to drug development resources that many companies cannot afford to build themselves, according to the governor’s press office.
SB 579 expands the authority of the Oregon Growth Account (OGA) Board and Oregon State Treasurer’s office, giving them the authority to invest money from the OGA account into funds designated to make seed investments in new and existing emerging companies.
The budget does not include funding for the proposed $5 million Cluster Accelerator Fund, a partnership with the Oregon Economic Development Department to strengthen the state’s innovation pipeline in selected technology areas.
The bills signed by Gov. Kulongoski represent a victory for the state’s TBED strategy. Earlier this year, Sen. Kurt Schrader (D-Canby) and Rep. Mary Nolan (D-Portland) unveiled the Co-Chairs’ 2007-09 Recommended Budget, which only included $19 million for the initiative -- about half of the original proposal (see the April 30, 2007 issue of the Digest http://www.ssti.org/Digest/2007/043007.htm#Budget ).
Copyright State Science & Technology Institute 2007. Redistribution to all others interested in tech-based economic development is strongly encouraged. Please cite the State Science & Technology Institute whenever portions are reproduced or redirected.
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