Otter’s Plan To Stimulate Idaho’s Tech Economy Becomes Law

Adam Bartelmay / Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce

Gov. Otter signed HB 546 (IGEM) into law this afternoon

Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter has signed into law his plan to kick-start collaboration between university researchers and private industry.

Otter’s IGEM, the Idaho Global Entrepreneurial Mission, spends $5 million to spur local innovation through research.  The plan sets aside $1 million in Idaho Department of Commerce grants for start-up businesses, $2 million for the Center for Advanced Energy Studies. Another $2 million will be split between Idaho’s three research universities.

[bill id=”H 546″ state=id session=”2012″ align=left]

The bill sailed through the legislature in just four weeks, passing both chambers virtually unopposed.  The Associated Press reported some Idaho lawmakers did express concern:

“Some lawmakers have worried Otter’s initiative, which is modeled after a Utah program, meddles too much in private industry.  Department of Commerce director Jeff Sayer says IGEM’s benefits may not be immediate, but he’s hopeful for its potential.” – AP

IGEM is modeled after a similarly-named program in Utah known as USTAR.  Although, in Utah, as NPR recently reported, the state invested $100 million into the project.

A quick Google search finds that Gov. Otter’s IGEM is not the only one out there.  iGEM (with a lowercase ‘i’) is also the acronym for an MIT spin-off non-profit based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Their iGEM stands for the International Genetically Engineered Machine Foundation.