Funds sought for technology development; OCAST to request increase of $10.4 million for research, commercialization in 2007
BYLINE: Jim Stafford, Business Writer
The state's technology-based economic development agency will ask for a $10.4 million funding increase -- 46.4 percent -- next year that would take its annual budget to more than $32 million, officials said Wednesday.
The Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology oversees myriad programs that focus on applied research, health research, small business and manufacturing assistance and technology commercialization.
OCAST won a $10 million budget increase in the 2006 legislative session, which came on the heels of a 2005 legislative session that provided only a $700,000 funding increase when it requested a budget increase of more than $13 million.
"Our total budget now is $22.4 million, and we want to grow that because our state needs to leverage the momentum coming out of the last (legislative) session," said Michael Carolina, executive director of OCAST.
"Let's continue to invest in research and development, science and technology, and continue to leverage dollars from the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, from the private sector, Homeland Security, wherever those federal funds exist."
Carolina said the agency's return on investment -- the amount of money brought into the state by investment and federal grants -- since its creation in 1987 is 15 to 1, and will likely grow when the numbers for 2006 are reported in a few weeks.
"As we go into our 20th year of existence and Oklahoma goes into its second century, we think there is a tremendous opportunity to leverage the past performance of OCAST, the strengths of our state in energy, agriculture, aviation/aerospace and all the technologies we have and let's carry them to the next level," Carolina said.
The agency recently has added programs that include plant science research, nanotechnology and, most recently, the Oklahoma Aerospace Institute, which was created during the last legislative session but was not funded.
Efforts to reach Legislative leadership for reaction to the budget request were unsuccessful Wednesday. But Damon Gardenhire, spokesman for Speaker of the House-elect Lance Cargill, said legislative leaders would have a better grasp of the state's revenue picture in January and February.
"Speaker Cargill is hugely supportive of the mission of OCAST," Gardenhire said. "He thinks technology and innovation are key to the 21st century economy for Oklahoma. Obviously, the mission that OCAST has in terms of turning technology into enterprise is hugely important to the future of Oklahoma."
Galynn Beer, Guymon-based chairman of the Oklahoma Science and Technology Research and Development board that oversees OCAST, said the agency has proposed a realistic budget increase.
"Right now is the opportunity to take advantage of the prosperity we are having in Oklahoma," Beer said. "We are benefiting from the surge in energy prices. I think we need to invest that money into technology and build a more diversified economy."
Carolina said OCAST has come a long way in figuring how to compete in a knowledge-intensive economy.
"We should be proud of what we have and start to leverage that to a larger agenda," he said.
Jim Stafford: 475-3310, jstafford@oklahoman.com
AT A GLANCE
OCAST's budget request, by individual programs and amounts:
$2.6 million increase for the OCAST Health Research program
$2.2 million increase for the Applied Research Support program
$1.275 million increase for plant science research
$1.1 million increase for technology commercialization
$264,000 increase for small business research assistance
$750,000 increase for the Oklahoma Alliance for Manufacturing Excellence
$52,000 increase for the Inventors Assistance Service
$43,000 increase for technology information services and rural economic development
Creation of the Oklahoma Aerospace Institute at a cost of $1.8 million
General administration increase for program additions of $280,000