Sec. 4-124ff. Innovation Challenge Grant program. Council of Advisors on Strategies for the Knowledge Economy.
Sec. 4-124ff. Innovation Challenge Grant program. Council of Advisors on
Strategies for the Knowledge Economy. (a) The Office of Workforce Competitiveness
shall, within available appropriations and in consultation with the council established
under subsection (b) of this section, establish a competitive "Innovation Challenge
Grant" program to promote and encourage partnerships and collaborations involving
technology-based business and industry with institutions of higher education and regional vocational-technical schools for the development of educational programs in
emerging and interdisciplinary technology fields and to address related issues.
(b) There is established a Council of Advisors on Strategies for the Knowledge
Economy to promote the formation of university-industry partnerships, identify benchmarks for technology-based workforce innovation and competitiveness and advise the
award process (1) for innovation challenge grants to public postsecondary schools and
their business partners, and (2) grants under section 4-124hh. The council shall be
chaired by the director of the Office of Workforce Competitiveness and shall include
the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management, the Commissioners of Economic
and Community Development and Higher Education, the Labor Commissioner, the
executive directors of Connecticut Innovations, Incorporated and the Connecticut Development Authority and four representatives from the technology industry, one of
whom shall be appointed by the president pro tempore of the Senate, one of whom shall
be appointed by the speaker of the House of Representatives, one of whom shall be
appointed by the minority leader of the Senate and one of whom shall be appointed by
the minority leader of the House of Representatives.
(P.A. 04-212, S. 1; P.A. 05-198, S. 1.)
History: P.A. 04-212 effective July 1, 2005; P.A. 05-198 amended Subsec. (b) by designating provisions re innovation
challenge grants as Subdiv. (1), adding Subdiv. (2) re grants under Sec. 4-124hh and expanding the council to include the
executive directors of Connecticut Innovations, Incorporated and the Connecticut Development Authority, effective July
1, 2005.