Commerce Department Awards $250,000 to Oregon University System

The U.S. Commerce Department awarded the Oregon University System (OUS) a matching grant of $250,000 to add a technology development and commercialization program to economic development efforts in the state.

The grant is from Commerce's Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Technology (EPSCoT), which supports state and local efforts to promote technology-based economic development in states that traditionally have been underfunded by federal research programs.

OUS (www.ous.edu), acting on behalf of a statewide coalition, will administer the grant and will use the funds to make it easier for entrepreneurs to establish bases in Oregon and help emerging firms use technical resources to strengthen their businesses. The grant also will help upgrade an online service called "Knowledge Exchange," which provides links to all of the state's academic resources.

Oregon was one of 12 states to receive the EPSCoT grant. Other grant recipients included Vermont, Nevada, Nebraska, Maine, South Carolina, Oklahoma, West Virginia, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and North Dakota.