Tuesday, March 26, 2002
CONTACT: Barry E. Piatt
or Brenden Timpe
PHONE: 202-224-2551
DORGAN MEETS WITH COLLEGE PRESIDENTS TO DEVELOP RESEARCH CORRIDOR ACTION PLAN
(GRAND FORKS, N.D.) — U.S. Senator Byron Dorgan met Tuesday with Presidents of North Dakota state universities and colleges, to begin to lay the ground work for an ambitious program to draw millions of federal research dollars – and new jobs and businesses – to North Dakota.
His goal: a world class research corridor that helps link the research resources and capabilities of North Dakota colleges and universities to federal government research needs. The federal government spends billions of dollars annually on scientific research, Dorgan noted, but the bulk of it goes mostly to colleges and universities in just four states: California, Massachusetts, New York and Texas.
Dorgan is a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee. He is using that position to connect North Dakota schools to federal research and development efforts, but says a coordinated effort that includes all state colleges and universities in the state could pay big dividends.
“North Dakota’s colleges and universities ought to be a big part of the nation’s federal research and development effort,” Dorgan said. “A cooperative research program that ties together the world-class resources and minds at North Dakota’s universities and colleges makes a very attractive package. I think, if we work together, we have the potential to become a major source of federal research and development work.”
If that happens, new businesses and new, good-paying jobs will soon follow, he said.
“Experience has shown that where there is significant federal research work going on, new jobs and new businesses begin to cluster in order to provide commercial applications for the result of that work,” Dorgan said. “I think this can be a very big and important part of North Dakota’s economic future,” Dorgan said.
Dorgan said he envisions the University of North Dakota (UND) in Grand Forks and North Dakota State University (NDSU) in Fargo anchoring the research corridor, and then reaching out and working cooperatively with state colleges and universities throughout the state.
--END--