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STORY HALLE SMITH | PHOTOS AMANDA ANTILLA
unity in the community IGEM Promotes Local Growth
CARMEN ACHABAL- IDAHO DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
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What’ s better than potatoes and blue turf in the State of Idaho? Knowing your tax dollars are going towards funding projects that promote economic growth. After taking one look at the IGEM program, you’ ll be confident to know they are doing just that.
IGEM is a unique program that funds commercialization research that advances private sector products and services by partnering business experts with Idaho university researchers. The program was approved during the 2012 legislative session and is currently in its fifth year. IGEM’ s council is comprised of 12 members appointed by the governor. The University may have a technology that it would like to commercialize and seeks to partner with a business in the private sector that can take the technology to market. Alternatively, a member of Industry may need assistance with their research needs to advance a viable product and will partner with an Idaho university. The Department of Commerce also provides assistance in partnering business-to-university and university-to-business in an effort to further advance the technology. If needed, Commerce can help in the match making between the Idaho business and the Idaho university. By evaluating the project and its research needs, Commerce can provide the introduction to the partner that has the expertise necessary to assist with the development of the technology.
Idaho Code designates that only Idaho’ s three public research universities can be recipients of this funding. This is by design as the program is funded by public tax dollars, these tax dollars are reinvested into Idaho’ s public research universities. n most cases, students assit in the development of these products which gives them real-world experience in their fields. This not only helps the Idaho business needing research assistance, it enables the research team to work on cutting edge technology with real-world experience.
With more projects reaching out for funding each year, the IGEM Council carefully selects which projects they fund. While Idaho companies receive preferential consideration, many companies are not currently aware that this program is an option.“[ We need to be ] letting Idaho businesses know we have this program that can allow them to be competitive in a global market,” Carmen Achabal said. She added that the program has reached six out of Idaho’ s seven economic regions in the state of Idaho. This investment in businesses and in researchers to develop technology will not only benefit our future, but the future of Idaho.
Recently Boise State University was awarded with $ 454,438 this year. The announcement was made in November for two businesses, Kairosys and Fiberguide. Kairosys which were awarded $ 194,003 for
GREENBELT MAGAZINE | JAN- FEB 2017