Thursday, Feb. 2, 2006
Contact: Spence Jackson, 573-751-0290
Blunt Proposes $2 Million in Life Sciences Commercialization at University of Missouri
JEFFERSON CITY–As part of his bold Lewis and Clark Discovery Initiative, Gov. Matt Blunt today reiterated his call for $2 million to go to the University of Missouri-Columbia for a new Missouri Life Science Incubator designed to help researchers move their science from the laboratory to commercial businesses.
"The University of Missouri is on the cutting edge of life sciences research and this incubator will provide wet labs, office space and assistance that researchers will need to move their science from the research lab to a commercial business," Blunt said at the Christopher S. Bond Life Sciences Center on the University of Missouri-Columbia campus. "This incubator is another critical part of the Lewis and Clark Discovery Initiative that will create a network of unparalleled research and development institutions that will power the economic engine of Missouri."
Blunt has already proposed that two other life sciences facilities be funded at the University of Missouri-Columbia under the Lewis and Clark Discovery Initiative. The first is a new $150 million Health Science Center designed to grow the university’s research base and second is a $15 million plant science research center that will seek to develop and enhance plant-based products.
As part of the Lewis and Clark Discovery Initiative, Blunt has also proposed that the state provide assistance to help our institutions bring technologies into the global market through the Missouri Discovery Alliance.
"With our commitment to the life sciences, Missouri is embarking on a bold journey into a future where the vast potential of the life sciences will improve the quality of life for our citizens through job creation and exciting new economic opportunities," Blunt said.
The Missouri Discovery Alliance is designed to maximize the economic impact of science and technology in Missouri by attracting and retaining life science companies and to help develop commercial applications for research. The major funding source for the alliance would be a large endowment set aside through the Lewis and Clark Discovery Initiative.
Today’s announcement comes exactly one week after Blunt proposed the Lewis and Clark Discovery Initiative that would provide $450 million for capital improvement projects, new scholarships and endowed professorships at universities throughout the state through the sale of assets from the Missouri Higher Education Loan Authority.
The MOHELA board earlier this week approved the initiative that will provide $300 million for capital improvements projects, $100 million in student scholarships, $30 million to enhance the growth and development of technology businesses near college campuses and $20 million for endowed professorships at universities across the state.
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