Two bills passed by the Missouri General Assembly last week include more than $32 million to support new initiatives to promote TBED activities in the state. Programs to support bio-agricultural research, technology commercialization and business growth won the lion's share of the new appropriations.
Funding for Missouri's Life Sciences Research Trust Fund, which was stalled during last year's legislative session, finally made it through the legislature, with last week's passage of the 2008 budget bill. The Trust Fund was created in 2003 to support life science research, commercialization and technology transfer. HB 688 allocated 25 percent of the state's tobacco settlement funds beginning in fiscal year 2007 to the Life Sciences Research Board, which administers the fund. However, concern over funds being used for embryonic stem cell research led the General Assembly to divert the $37.5 million appropriation last session. In November, voters approved an amendment to the state constitution that prohibits state or local governments from preventing embryonic stem cell research (see the Nov. 13, 2006 issue of the Digest).
Steering clear of any further controversy this year, legislators approved a $13.4 million appropriation for research focusing on animal health and nutrition, renewable energy and plant science. The funds are limited to a one-time appropriation.
The state has an aggressive animal sciences corridor, and the trust will invest in projects to invigorate the research base to help encourage and support this industry cluster, said Mike Mills, deputy director of the Missouri Department of Economic Development.
The General Assembly also passed HB 16 last week, which includes more than $15 million from the Lewis and Clark Discovery Fund for several new TBED initiatives through the Missouri Technology Corporation, including: