State Gov Backs $51M Plan to Jumpstart State’s Innovation Economy

Last week, Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo proposed more than $51 million in investments focused on reinvigorating the state’s economy through innovative industries with the release of her fiscal year 2017 budget request. The governor’s Make It in RI jobs plan http://www.governor.ri.gov/budget/ incorporates many of the recommendations from a strategic plan http://www.brookings.edu/research/reports2/2016/01/19-rhode-island developed by the Metropolitan Policy Program at Brookings, Battelle Technology Partnership Practice (now TEConomy Partners, LLC) and Monitor Deloitte. One of the key investments is a $20 million brick-and-mortar innovation district where entrepreneurs, businesspeople and academics can interact.

In her budget address http://www.governor.ri.gov/newsroom/speeches/2015/Budget_Address.php last week, Gov. Raimondo strongly backed the idea that advanced industries and cutting-edge research were vital to modern economic prosperity. "It’s pretty simple," she said, "Advanced industry jobs create high wages and economic growth." In order to stimulate employment in those industries, the governor introduced a number of proposals based on Rhode Island Innovates: A Competitive Strategy for the Ocean State http://www.brookings.edu/research/reports2/2016/01/19-rhode-island , prepared by Brookings, Battelle and Deloitte.

Full Story: http://ssti.org/blog/ri-gov-backs-51m-plan-jumpstart-state%E2%80%99s-innovation-economy?utm_source=SSTI+Weekly+Digest&utm_campaign=ee48dd6a09-SSTI_Weekly_Digest_2_12_2016&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_ecf5992d4c-ee48dd6a09-212414005