Governor Kulongoski Signs the 2007 Oregon Innovation Plan
Invests in seven new industry initiatives, including the creation of two new signature research centers
Portland– Governor Kulongoski today signed four bills that comprise the 2007 Innovation Plan, marking the state’s largest investment in innovation-based economic development to increase Oregon’s innovation capacity and ability to compete in a global economy. Senate Bills 579 and 582 and House Bills 5508 and 5035 invest $28.2 million in seven public-private industry initiatives and fund the creation of two new signature research centers.
“As global competition has increased, so has our need to become more innovative in our approach to expand economic opportunities for Oregon companies, and after two years of dedicated work, we now have an innovation-based strategy to enhance Oregon’s global competitiveness,” Governor Ted Kulongoski said. “With the legislation I’m signing today, we’re putting that strategy into action – keeping vital industries strong and creating new opportunities for global leadership.”
The Oregon Innovation Council (Oregon InC) was created by the Governor and legislature in 2005 to develop an innovation-based strategy to enhance Oregon’s global competitiveness. The Council developed the Oregon Innovation Plan, which the Governor included in his 2007-09 budget, which included initiatives for both emerging industries, such as wave energy and nanotechnology, and core Oregon industries, such as manufacturing and food processing. The Governor’s budget also included funding for the creation of two new signature research centers to focus on research and development in the areas of bio-economy and sustainable technologies and infectious diseases.
“This funding represents a watershed moment for Oregon and signals that we are looking forward – making sure that Oregon can compete in the global economy,” said Oregon InC chair, Dave Chen. “The Council has put forward an aggressive plan to build Oregon's innovation-based economy through seven public-private initiatives, and as we move into implementation in 2007, accountability and transparency are critical to the success of this plan.”
Highlights of the 2007 Innovation Plan include:
HB 5508
- SignatureResearch Center: ONAMI (Oregon Nanoscience and Microtechnologies Institute)– The Oregon Innovation Plan includes continued investment in the state’s successful first signature research center.Established in 2003, ONAMI has generated a return of ten federal dollars for every state dollar invested in research focused on nano and micro technologies.
- 2007-09 state funding: $9 million total
- Signature Research Center: BEST (Bio-Economy and Sustainable Technologies) Center – One of Oregon’s two new signature research centers, this center is focused on research and development in clean energy, bio-based products and green building and helping build on Oregon’s reputation as a leader in renewable energy; leverage ONAMI technology platforms and bolster Oregon’s rural economy.
- 2007-09 state funding: $2.5 million total
- Emerging Industry Initiative: Wave Energy –This initiative will help build a sustainable industry on the Oregon coast by using ocean waves to generate electricity. Oregon has been identified as the best site in the United States for this emerging energy technology, giving the state the opportunity to create a first-in-the-nation network of offshore devices feeding power to our electrical grid.
- 2007-09 state funding: $4.2 million total
- Established Industry Initiative: Food Processing and Seafood – The funding calls for expanding vitally important food and seafood innovation centers, aiding Oregon companies to create new products, improve productivity and expand into new markets. It also includes investment in the existing Community Seafood Initiative to generate new value-added economic opportunities for seafood companies operating in Oregon’s rural communities.
- 2007-09 state funding:$4.332 million total - $3.432 million for food processing and $900,000 for Community Seafood Initiative
- Established Industry Initiative: Manufacturing Competitiveness –This investment includes funding for training and research and development (R&D) to ensure Oregon has an advanced manufacturing workforce that can compete globally. Oregon is the most manufacturing-dependent state in the western United States, with 12.4% of all Oregon jobs in manufacturing and 211,000 individuals employed.
- 2007-09 state funding: $2.872 million total
HB 5035
- Signature Research Center: OTRADI (Oregon Translational Research and Drug Development Institute) Infectious Disease Drug Discovery – Another of two new signature research centers, OTRADI will focus on developing and commercializing new drugs to fight infectious diseases.The Institute will provide access to drug development resources that many companies cannot afford to build themselves–including screening, pre-clinical models, chemical libraries and lead optimization–bridging the gaps between research, development and commercialization in the area of infectious disease.
2007-09 state funding: $5.25 million total
SB 579
- Oregon Growth Account Expanded Authority – This legislation gives the Oregon Growth Account (OGA) Board and Oregon State Treasurer’s office the authority to invest money from the OGA account into funds designated to make early seed investments in new and existing emerging growth businesses.
SB 582
- University Venture Fund Amendment – Senate Bill 582 encompasses the technical adjustments necessary to implement the University Venture Fund legislation, which was unanimously passed by the Legislature in 2005. Although the Legislature approved the university commercialization tax credit, several technical problems arose during the implementation phase. This bill is designed to clarify these questions, in order for the program to be available to Oregon universities.
The Council has also established an “Audit & Accountability” Committee that will evaluate the milestones of each initiative on a quarterly basis and report back to the Council on progress to-date. The Council will report on these milestones to the legislature on a regular basis to interim legislative committees and in the annual report required by statute in the “off-years” between biennial innovation plans. The industry initiatives will be measured specifically on their ability to leverage the return on investment, grow or retain jobs and businesses, and the ability to broadly engage the existing industry cluster.
Contact:
Anna Richter Taylor, 503.378.6169
Kristina Edmunson, 503.378.5040
Courtney Warner, (Oregon InC), 503.229.6063
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