North Carolina Lawmakers Fund Major Research, Education, TBED Initiatives

After running on a month-long stopgap budget, North Carolina lawmakers reached a $20.7 billion budget agreement for fiscal year 2007-08 earlier this week that includes funding for major research initiatives, public and higher education, and TBED-related items.

 

Under the budget agreement signed Tuesday by Gov. Mike Easley, University of North Carolina (UNC)-Chapel Hill is slated to receive $25 million this year, $40 million next year and a recurring $50 million in future years to expand cancer research. Funding for the initiative comes from a 10 percent increase on tobacco products other than cigarettes, $21.2 million in general fund revenue over the biennium, and $8 million from the Tobacco Trust Fund each year.

 

In keeping with a legislative mandated study enacted last year, the budget appropriates $5 million to establish the North Carolina Biofuels Center. The action plan, Fueling North Carolina’s Future: North Carolina’s Strategic Plan for Biofuels Leadership, outlines nine strategies for the coming decade to strengthen the state’s future in biofuels development and use.

 

The budget also provides $1 million to establish the North Carolina Green Business Fund as a special revenue fund within the Department of Commerce. The fund will invest in projects focusing on three priority areas: encouraging the development of the biofuels industry; fostering the development of the green building industry; and, attracting and leveraging private-sector investments in clean technology and renewable energy products.

 

The North Carolina Biotechnology Center appropriation for FY 2007-08 is $15.6 million, with $3 million earmarked to create regional innovation centers that focus on research and technology transfer in biotechnology-related fields. Budget funding for other initiatives includes $14 million for the One North Carolina Fund; $4.8 million for the One North Carolina Small Business Fund to provide grants under North Carolina’s SBIR/STTR program; $4 million to the e-NC Authority to increase availability of internet connectivity in rural areas of the state; and $1.5 million for the Support Defense and Security Technology Accelerator, a business incubator focused on homeland security and defense industries.

 

Education initiatives in both K-12 and higher education fared well in the budget. The budget provides $4.4 million to fund the Focused Education Reform Pilot program, which will offer teacher recruitment and retainment bonuses, teacher mentoring and science and math instructional assistance. A new School Technology Pilot program will receive $3 million, which - along with a grant from the Golden LEAF Foundation and private sector funds - will be used to establish eight pilot high schools that incorporate technology in the classroom by providing computers for all teachers and students. UNC System initiatives funded within the budget include:

• $6 million for matching funds for UNC system campus endowed professorships;
• $5 million in additional operating funds for the bioengineering program at North Carolina State University (NCSU) College of Engineering;
• $3 million to create a research competitiveness fund to support strategic investments in emerging areas such as nanoscience, marine science and biomanufacturing, emphasizing interdisciplinary research;
• $2 million for tuition waivers aimed at recruiting and retaining top tier graduate students in science and technology;
• $1.5 million to expand initiatives at NSCU for R&D of bioenergy technologies;
• $1.5 million for math and science teacher recruitment efforts for NCSU and UNC-Chapel Hill;
• $1.4 million for a joint graduate school of nanoscience and nanoengineering at the Millennium Campus of UNC-Greensboro and North Carolina A&T State University;
• $1 million in additional operating funds for the Biomanufacturing Research Institute and Technology Enterprise initiative at North Carolina Central University; and,
• $500,000 for NCSU Entrepreneurship and Regional Cluster-based Economic Development Funds to expand activities, foster new microenterprises, capture the production of new high-technology based products, and pursue focused recruitment and retention efforts in high-priority job clusters.

HB 1473 is available from the North Carolina General Assembly at: http://www.ncga.state.nc.us/

 

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