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Minnesota Legislature Creates New Office of Science and Technology
Minnesota legislators established the Office of Science and Technology (OST) to develop a collaborative partnership between industry, academia and government that will coordinate federal funding procurement efforts in S&T with Minnesota. OST's efforts will focus on developing the partnership to help small help businesses access federal grants for technology development and promote contractual relationships between Minnesota small, medium and large businesses according to the governor's press office.
The Department of Employment and Economic Development will receive $400,000 for the effort in fiscal year 2009 to expand current SBIR and STTR efforts and develop a process for technology partnering and commercialization to enhance the S&T funding pipeline.
Legislators also approved:
- $9 million for bioscience business development infrastructure;
- $7.8 million for the Redevelopment Grant Program, which provides assistance in redeveloping commercial, industrial and residential sites; and,
- $7 million for Greater Minnesota Business Development Infrastructure.
A bill to create a High-Speed Broadband Task Force to identify areas in the state that lack infrastructure to support broadband service also was passed by the legislature. The task force is charged with developing a comprehensive plan to achieve a statewide high-speed broadband goal, according to the governor's office.
Gov. Pawlenty vetoed a bill last week authorizing the University of Minnesota to spend state-appropriated funds on stem cell research. Although no funds were set aside in the legislation, passage of the bill would have established a state policy to permit research involving embryonic stem cells. In his veto message, the governor expressed moral and ethical concern regarding destruction of live embryos and, instead, voiced his support of research involving adult stem cells.
Lawmakers authorized legislation to create the Minnesota Biomedical Sciences Research Facilities Program and approved bonding authority of $233 million over six years for the University of Minnesota to build four new research buildings. Overall, universities and state colleges face $21 million in combined cuts for the upcoming fiscal year. In his supplemental budget recommendation, Gov. Pawlenty proposed a reduction of 3.85 percent each year in general fund to help close the budget gap.
Gov. Pawlenty's K-12 Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics proposals, including the creation of math and science teacher academies, were not funded in the approved FY09 budget.
Legislators concurred with Gov. Pawlenty's recommendation to remove the one-time appropriation of $2.6 million for renewable hydrogen initiative grants and also reduced by $1.25 million an appropriation for E-85 pump installation cost-share grants. The FY 2007-09 supplemental budget bill awaits action from Gov. Pawlenty.
The conference committee report on the approved FY 2007-09 supplemental budget, H.F. 1812, is available at: http://www.leg.state.mn.us/