Tuesday, December 19, 2006
Contact: Brian Hauswirth, 573-751-0290
Blunt to Discuss Plant Science Opportunities and Benefits
JEFFERSON CITY–Gov. Matt Blunt will join members of his Governor’s Advisory Council for Plant Biotechnology today to discuss the many opportunities and benefits available to Missouri through the developing plant science and agricultural industries.
“Above all else, plant biotechnology and emerging opportunities for value-added agriculture hold the most potential for our state’s future economic success,” Blunt said. “It is imperative we find ways, like the Lewis & Clark Discovery Initiative’s Technology Corporation, for the state to recognize every opportunity and benefit available through new technology and plant science.”
The council will discuss legislative and other state initiatives, including the Lewis & Clark Discovery Initiative and the Life Sciences Trust Fund, and will review innovative models to ensure Missouri benefits from new technology. The governor also announced today he will again recommend full funding for the Life Sciences Trust Fund, which he has done every year since he took office.
This will be the group’s third meeting. Blunt charged the council with analyzing the state’s current life sciences environment to determine how the state can better capitalize on the industry’s potential, serving as an aggressive recruitment committee to attract new life sciences companies to Missouri and determining if a state-based regulatory structure is desirable.
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