08.16.13

Hoeven, Dalrymple: EDA Awards University Center Grant to NDSU Research and Technology Park

Federal, State Funds Support STEM Research And Economic Development

FARGO, N.D. – Senator John Hoeven and Governor Jack Dalrymple today announced that the Economic Development Administration (EDA), through its University Center Program, has awarded $100,000 to the North Dakota State University (NDSU) Research and Technology Park in Fargo, which in 2003 was named as one of the state’s first North Dakota Centers of Excellence. The North Dakota Department of Commerce is providing $100,000 in matching funds for 2013. 

The new EDA grant and the North Dakota Department of Commerce matching funds will support partnerships between academic researchers on NDSU’s campus and companies specializing in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). Their joint objective is to advance innovation, entrepreneurship and commercialization of technologies on both the campus and at the park. Since its inception in 1999, the NDSU Research and Technology Park has sought to expand the economic base of North Dakota through technology-based business development and has been the initial home to 23 businesses.

“We’ve worked hard to help make North Dakota a great place to do business and diversify our economy,” said Hoeven and Dalrymple in a joint statement. “Centers of Excellence like the NDSU Research and Technology Park forge partnerships between our universities and businesses to develop the products and services of tomorrow, bring them to market, and provide good jobs for North Dakotans. We will continue to look to the future, working to build on such successes and provide more opportunities for our people and our businesses.”

As a member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee, Senator Hoeven has worked to provide funding for programs that support STEM education and economic development. Hoeven said STEM education plays a critical role in equipping students with the skills necessary to compete in the modern, global economy.

Hoeven is also a member of the Senate GOP High-Tech Task Force, which works to ensure that the nation’s technology firms remain at the forefront of the world economy. The task force’s objectives include promoting private sector innovation, creating a business environment to attract leading worldwide technology, enhancing the nation’s competitive workforce and other pro-growth tech policies.

Following Dalrymple’s recommendation, the North Dakota Legislature also appropriated $12 million to fund Research North Dakota (RND), which will help to further grow and diversify the state’s economy by commercializing technologies developed in partnerships between the state’s research universities and private technology developers.