Sec. 4-124hh. Grant program to generate talent in institutions of higher education.
Sec. 4-124hh. Grant program to generate talent in institutions of higher education. (a) The Office of Workforce Competitiveness shall, within available appropriations, establish a grant program to provide a flexible source of funding for the creation
and generation of talent in institutions of higher education and, with appropriate connections to vocational-technical schools and other secondary schools, for student outreach
and development. Grants pursuant to this subsection shall be awarded to institutions of
higher education and may be used to:
(1) Upgrade instructional laboratories to meet specific industry-standard laboratory
and instrumentation skill requirements;
(2) Develop new curriculum and certificate and degree programs at the associate,
bachelor's, master's and doctorate levels, tied to industry identified needs;
(3) Develop seamlessly articulated career development programs in workforce
shortage areas forecasted pursuant to subdivision (9) of subsection (b) of section 4-124w in collaboration with vocational-technical schools and other secondary schools
and institutions of higher education;
(4) Support undergraduate and graduate student research projects and experimental
learning activities; and
(5) Establish a nanotechnology post-secondary education program and clearinghouse for curriculum development, scholarships and student outreach.
(b) The Office of Workforce Competitiveness shall, within available appropriations, establish a grant program to provide funding for the advancement of research
capabilities and research opportunities. Grants pursuant to this subsection shall be
awarded to institutions of higher education and technology focused organizations and
may be used to:
(1) Recruit eminent faculty in basic and applied research;
(2) Leverage federal funding for research centers;
(3) Provide pilot funding for faculty to develop initial research data for the development of larger grant funding proposals and to nonstate granting entities, such as federal
agencies; and
(4) Establish a Connecticut Nanotechnology Collaboration Initiative to foster industry-university relationships by providing:
(A) Discovery grants, not to exceed fifty thousand dollars, to support post-doctorate
or graduate students working with industry on nanotechnology projects under the supervision of faculty members. Each discovery grant shall be matched with a direct or in-kind industry grant in the same amount;
(B) Collaborative grants, not to exceed one hundred fifty thousand dollars, to support university research teams working with industry on collaborative research projects
focused on specific application development. Each collaborative grant shall be matched
with an industry grant in the same amount;
(C) Prototype grants, not to exceed two hundred fifty thousand dollars, to enable
universities and companies to demonstrate whether a prototype is manufacturable and
functional and the cost effectiveness of nanotechnology-related applications. Each prototype grant shall be matched with an industry grant in an amount equal to two dollars
for every one dollar of such prototype grant.
(c) The Office of Workforce Competitiveness shall, within available appropriations, establish a grant program to provide funding for the promotion of collaborative
research applications between industry and institutions of higher education. Grants pursuant to this subsection shall be awarded to institutions of higher education, technology-focused organizations and business entities and may be used:
(1) To improve technology infrastructure by advancing the development of shared
use between institutions of higher education and business entities of laboratories and
equipment, including, but not limited to, technology purchase, lease and installation,
operating and necessary support personnel and maintenance;
(2) As matching grants for joint projects between an industry, a technology-focused
organization or a university. The office shall structure the matching grants to provide
two rounds of funding annually and shall do outreach to companies. The matching grant
part of the program shall include, but not be limited to, (A) one-to-one matching grants
not to exceed one hundred thousand dollars, with in-kind match allowed for small and
mid-sized companies, (B) involvement of a competitive process with outside reviewers
using as key criteria (i) the demonstration of commercial relevance, and (ii) a clear path
to the marketplace for any innovations developed in the course of the research, and
(C) an aggressive marketing campaign through business organizations to raise industry
awareness of resources from universities or technology-focused organizations; and
(3) To develop a Connecticut Center for Nanoscale Sciences and Development to
provide a shared-use laboratory in one or more sites in the state to advance university
research, industry application development and education involving the synthesis, characterization and fabrication of nanoscale materials, intermediates and devices and related program activities. The Office of Workforce Competitiveness shall conduct a feasibility study and business planning model leading to the establishment of such center,
including strategies for securing investments from the federal government and private
entities. On or before January 1, 2007, said office shall submit the results of such study,
in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a, to the joint standing committees of
the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to commerce and higher
education and employment advancement.
(d) The Office of Workforce Competitiveness shall, within available appropriations, establish a grant program to provide funding for the promotion of commercialization of research done by institutions of higher education. Grants pursuant to this subsection shall be awarded to institutions of higher education and business entities and may
be used:
(1) To provide funding to verify the technical and commercial feasibility of early
stage discoveries by institutions of higher education that are disclosed or patented to
accelerate and increase the likelihood that the technology will be successfully commercialized;
(2) To provide matching support for smaller institutions of higher education to allow
for contracts with independent technology transfer organizations to provide specific
service to support specific needs; and
(3) Through the Connecticut Small Business Innovation Research Office, supported
by the Office of Workforce Competitiveness, to provide specialized technical assistance
to advance nanotechnology awards to Connecticut companies and the small business
innovation research program, including nanotechnology-related workshops and seminars, grant preparation assistance, marketing assistance, services related to matching
grants and other technical assistance to assist companies with nanotechnology-related
applications for the small business innovation research program.
(P.A. 05-198, S. 2; P.A. 06-187, S. 27; 06-196, S. 29, 30.)
History: P.A. 05-198 effective July 1, 2005; P.A. 06-187 added Subsec. (a)(5) permitting grants to be awarded for
establishing nanotechnology post-secondary education program and clearinghouse for curriculum development, scholarships and student outreach, added Subsec. (b)(4) permitting funding for establishing a Connecticut Nanotechnology Collaboration Initiative to provide grants as specified in Subparas. (A), (B) and (C), added Subsec. (c)(3) permitting grants to be
used to develop Connecticut Center for Nanoscale Sciences and Development and amended Subsec. (d) to make technical
changes and add Subdiv. (3) permitting grants to be used through the Connecticut Small Business Innovation Research
Office to provide specialized assistance to advance nanotechnology awards to Connecticut companies and the small business innovation research program, effective July 1, 2006; P.A. 06-196 made technical changes in Subsecs. (a) and (c),
effective June 7, 2006.