North Carolina Releases Index and S&T Plan

This summer, North Carolina joined a growing handful of states and regions that have completed innovation assessments or report cards to aid in the development and implementation of state’s science and technology policies. Tracking Innovation: North Carolina Innovation Index 2000 was released in conjunction with a high-tech cluster analysis and a new S&T strategic plan for the state entitled Mapping the Vision.

The plan and index are the culmination of Vision 2030: Science & Technology Driving North Carolina into the New Economy. The Vision 2030 Project was a 15-month effort involving more than 800 people and encompassing several studies, assessments, conferences, task forces, surveys and focus groups. The goal of the project was to both educate and challenge North Carolinians “to begin building the science and technology-based platforms needed to support North Carolina’s economy in the 21st century.”

The Innovation Index documents recent trends across more than 50 specific measures in 26 indicators across five categories: performance measurement outcomes, economic structure, innovation outcomes, innovation inputs, and preparation. For each measure, North Carolina is compared with the states of Georgia, Massachusetts, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Texas and Virginia.

The state's new S&T strategic plan, Mapping the Vision, outlines 11 recommendations, each with several specific action items. The broader recommendations include:

• Evolve North Carolina’s science and technology-based economic development operations into a competitive configuration for the 21st century knowledge economy.
• Support the dynamic development of new companies, products, and services through innovative funding mechanisms such as venture capital, public funding, and tax incentives.
• Establish a central resource center for the collection, analysis, and dissemination of data on North Carolina’s economy.
• Design a globally competitive research and development tax credit.
• Brand and market North Carolina globally as a high-tech state.
• Erase the boundaries: Teach North Carolina’s citizens to think, learn, and work in a borderless world.
• Ensure a world-class learning environment for NC citizens: Invest in the current and future technology infrastructure of North Carolina’s educational institutions.
• Teach, celebrate and reward innovative thinking in K-16. Elevate and promote innovation in education, business, and government.
• Develop public awareness and education programs to address social and ethical issues related to progress in science and technology. 
• Endorse and promote regional science and technology-based economic development programs.

The Innovation Index and Mapping the Vision can be downloaded from the Vision 2030 Project website: http://www.governor.state.nc.us/govoffice/vision2030/index.html