News Releases for October 2005
October 14, 2005
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Hoeven Announces First Round Of Centers Of Excellence Funding
Editors Note: Sitting in for Centers of Excellence Commissioner Martin White was U.S. Bank President Tim Hennessy from Bismarck.
BISMARCK, N.D. - Gov. John Hoeven today announced funding for four new economic development projects in the first round of awards by the Centers of Excellence Commission. Of the 12 applications submitted, four were approved (92kb pdf) today totaling about $9 million, to be met with up to $31.5 million in matching funds. Applicants not selected in the first round will have an opportunity to refine project applications for the next round of awards in January.
The Centers of Excellence projects approved today span fields from Bismarck State College’s Career and Technology Center, a world-class facility combining energy workforce training with environmental research, to North Dakota State University’s Center of Excellence in Advanced Electronic Design and Manufacturing, which will research small sensor chips used in high-tech applications. Additional awards went to Lake Region State College for the Dakota Center for Technology – Optimized Agriculture; and the University of North Dakota’s National Center for Hydrogen Technology. Together, the new ventures hold the potential to create hundreds of good paying jobs in North Dakota.
“We’re off to a strong start, with very promising projects that hold real potential for creating new business opportunities and higher paying jobs for our citizens,” Hoeven said. “The process showcased not only the many exciting projects on our campuses and in business communities, but also the latent talent and entrepreneurship we see emerging across North Dakota.”
“The selection process was smooth, efficient, and difficult, in the sense that the Commission had so many good applications to choose from,” said Lt. Gov. Jack Dalrymple, an advisor to the six-member Centers of Excellence Commission, which made the awards based on explicit criteria. “The choices they made will really move the Centers of Excellence forward quickly.”
“Gov. Hoeven, Lt. Gov. Dalrymple, the Legislature and the Centers of Excellence Commission have set in motion a round of awards for projects that hold great potential for economic growth in our state,” said Robert L. Potts, chancellor of the North Dakota University System. “The State Board of Higher Education and the University System are looking forward to additional opportunities for the campuses to compete for this funding, thus creating more ways to contribute to North Dakota’s economy.”
Representing the State Board of Higher Education are Richard Kunkel of Devils Lake, for a one year term; Bev Clayburgh of Grand Forks, for a two year term; and John Q. Paulsen of Fargo for a three year term. Representing the Economic Development Foundation are Martin White of MDU Resources Group in Bismarck; Dennis Johnson, Mayor of Dickinson and CEO of TMI Systems Design Corp.; and Mark Nisbet, North Dakota principal manager for Xcel Energy in Fargo, and chairman.
A Center of Excellence for Economic Development is a hub of research and development on one the campuses of the North Dakota University System around which related businesses expand and dynamic new businesses cluster. The Governor’s initiative provides up to $50 million for Centers of Excellence. The dollars will be leveraged with private and federal matching funds to generate a total investment in new jobs and businesses of more than $150 million.
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