The Oregon Innovation Council (Oregon InC) will release a Request for Proposals on May 1 to solicit ideas statewide that will help build and support new and emerging industries. Oregon InC is a public-private partnership with a mission to nurture the growth of industry clusters in areas where Oregon has unique advantages in leadership, R&D, supply chain and manufacturing. In recent years, Oregon InC has funded new initiatives supporting wave energy, bioscience, nanotechnology, clean tech, electric vehicle development and unmanned aerial systems. With each, the goal is to create new companies and new jobs in developing areas that will strengthen and diversify Oregon’s economy. Oregon InC initiatives have helped incubate 86 new companies which have raised more than $130 million in non-state funding. They have helped companies and researchers capture more than $400 million in federal and private grants, and provided new companies with access to technical expertise and mentoring, R&D help and a network of 11 labs and 450 university researchers able to help get ideas out of the lab and into the marketplace. Proposals will be evaluated by a team of private sector leaders who will focus primarily on the proposal’s potential to: create new businesses and jobs in an emerging industry sector; successfully compete for private and federal investment; help new and existing businesses access additional sources of capital, and demonstrate a clear return on the state’s investment. The 2014 RFP may be viewed on May 1 at: www.oregon4biz.com Proposals must be received no later than 5 p.m. on Thursday, June 5, 2014. Interested parties may review the 2012 Request for Proposals at: www.oregon4biz.com The current Innovation Plan, comprised of seven initiatives, is available online at: http://www.oregon4biz.com/Innovation-in-Oregon/
