Ohio Invests Nearly $74 Million in Wright Centers of Innovation, Biotech

With the state's current fiscal year winding down and a $1 billion deficit looming for the next one, Ohio has re-emphasized its commitment to building a stronger economic future through research and technology with a series of multi-million grant announcement over the past three weeks.

Part of Governor Bob Taft's Third Frontier Project, the state has competitively awarded nearly $20 million to each of the first three Wright Centers of Innovation. The centers program represents a $500 million, 10-year capital fund to support the construction and furbishing of an unspecified number of research and commercialization facilities associated with the state's academic research community.

• The first project designated a Wright Center for Innovation received a $9.1 million grant for research and development toward creation of an ultra-high field MRI scanner. Research partners include Ohio State University and Case Western Reserve University; commercial partners are two Cleveland-area companies. The state is investing an additional $8 million into the project through the Biomedical Research and Technology Transfer Commission (BRTT).
• The second Wright Center for Innovation, Power Partnership of Ohio is a collaborative project involving five academic institutions and nine private companies; it received $18 million in late May to support the research, development and commercialization of fuel cells. Based at Case Western Reserve University, the Power Partnership will match the state funds dollar-for-dollar with federal and other non-state funds. An additional $2 million award from the state will support the construction of a fuel cell prototyping center at Stark State College.
• The Center for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, the third Wright Center of Innovation, was awarded to a consortium of several schools that will work toward new treatments for debilitating diseases, including cancer, bone or degenerative joint diseases, heart disease and spinal cord injuries. With a $10.9 million grant from the Wright Centers Capital Fund and $8.6 million from BRTT, the center is expected to create 500 new jobs and six new companies before 2008. Case Western Reserve University, The Cleveland Clinic and the University Hospitals of Cleveland will provide $20 million in matching funds toward the project.

In addition, the state announced seven awards totaling $17 million for smaller projects in areas such as neurostimulation and neuromodulation, nanocomposites, photoinstrumentation and photopolymerization, and flexible optical and electronics.

More information on the Wright Centers of Innovation, the Biomedical Research and Technology Transfer Fund and Ohio's overall Third Frontier Strategy is available at: http://www.connectohio.com/3rdfrontier