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North Carolina Charts a New Innovation Framework
North Carolina is a nationally-recognized center for basic research due to its sustained investment in higher education and TBED-related projects. Many in the state believe, however, that North Carolina is not translating as much of that research throughout its innovation economy as it should be. Advancing Innovation in North Carolina, a new report from the North Carolina Board of Science and Technology, argues that in order to have a truly prosperous high-tech economy, North Carolina will have to increase the adoption of new technologies throughout rural regions of the state and improve its performance in areas not related to its higher education system, including the availability of capital and percentage of R&D workers as a share of the workforce.
North Carolina faces several challenges in creating a rich innovation ecosystem according to the report. The first is a relatively low overall investment in research and development. In 2004, North Carolina ranked 23rd in R&D investment as a share of gross state product. The state's innovation economy is also heavily dependent on just a few innovative geographic clusters for development. The rate of successful innovation varies widely across the state, with only a few cities and regions having taken off as high-tech centers. Other concerns include a continuous need to train more high-tech workers and to improve the state's ability to translate its ideas and intellectual property into successful companies.
The report calls for the reestablishment of the State Science Advisor position, and for the appointee to that position to work with the General Assembly and the Board of Science and Technology to implement a new innovation framework. Recommendations along with their estimated costs include the following:
- State-funded competitive grants for UNC system faculty- Awards would support research collaboration and technology commercialization and would require a one-to-one match. Estimated cost- at least $5 million annually.
- Public/private partnership to promote the state as a high-tech center- The effort would coordinate a strategic marketing effort to attract researchers, companies and grants. Estimated cost- at least $2 million annually.
- Repurposed UNC technology transfer offices- Offices would focus less on licensing and more on industry engagement and job creation. Estimated cost- $3 million annually.
- Continued development of the UNC Millennial Campuses- Use these new campuses to support feasibility study and planning grants, start-up activities and research collaborations.
- Support for SBIR/STTR applicants- Increase funding for the One North Carolina Small Business Program and the Small Business and Technology Development Center (SBTDC). Estimated cost- at least $7 million.
- Additional rural assistance through the North Carolina Industrial Extension Service and the SBTDC- Increase funding and add new programs to support technology adoption in regions with traditionally lower levels of innovation. Estimated cost- at least $1 million annually.
- Technology- and workforce-training programs- Enhance existing innovation-oriented workforce training programs, particularly in the community college system. Estimated cost- at least $5 million annually.
Download Advancing Innovation in North Carolina at: http://www.ncscitech.com/NCBST_reports.htm.