September 8, 2006

Pryce , U.S. Commerce Secretary
Tour TechColumbus

Detail Federal commitment to spurring Columbus’s technological economy

WASHINGTON – Today, Congresswoman Deborah Pryce (R-Columbus) was joined by U.S. Department of Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez in a tour and briefing at the high-tech business incubator, TechColumbus.  The Secretary was in town to discuss investment in research and innovation through the federal American Competitiveness Initiative (ACI).

“It is not an accident or happenstance that last week Columbus was named the 7th strongest economy in the nation,” said Pryce.  “It is largely because of the infinite wealth of technology, research and development thriving here in central Ohio – The Ohio State University, Battelle, American Chemical Abstracts, state-of-the-art hospitals -- attributes and institutions that are growing to keep Columbus strong and largely buffered from other regional and national economic peaks and valleys.”

Pryce added, “I am fully committed to the American Competitiveness Initiative, under which the federal government is encouraging aggressive investment by businesses in research and development, increasing federal support for vital basic research, and improving math and science education for America’s students.” 

“We must never take for granted America’s hegemony in the global economy.  Our past economic dominance is a result of more than two centuries of American ingenuity and a skilled and educated workforce, but it in no way guarantees future economic supremacy.  Only through thoughtful planning and public-private collaboration -- the kind envisioned in the American Competitiveness Initiative and practiced by high-tech incubators like TechColumbus – can our nation ensure future economic success for generations to come.”

Pryce has been instrumental in securing funds for the institutions and partners of the Tech Corridor.  Recently, Pryce has championed federal appropriations for:

·         $7.3 million for the Ohio Broadband Network, a one - of - a - kind broadband network connecting Ohio’s academic, scientific, and medical research institutions and companies allowing them to interact on an unprecedented scale.

·         $2 million appropriated last year and $2 million more pending this year for a High Density Laser Physics facility at Ohio State which will be able to make dramatic advancements towards fusion energy production.

·         Over $3 million for the construction of the Biomedical Research Tower at OSU .

·         Millions of federal dollars for Battelle to produce the next generation of defense technologies.

·         $350,000 for the Ohio Supercomputer Center in Columbus to launch a unified research database linking collaborating institutions in Ohio to deliver publicly available pediatric cancer and disease database to the national community.

 

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