Post on 31-Dec-2019
COLORADO’S RESEARCHECOSYSTEM
May 16, 2019
RECALL THIS MORNING…
RECALL THIS MORNING…
GPS, Touchscreen, Voice
Recognition: U.S. Military labs
researched & designed
Wrinkle-Free Cotton: U.S. Dept.
of Agriculture research labs
Tap Water: U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency research
labs
RECALL THIS MORNING…
You checked traffic details on your phone
to get to the ASP conference?
Thank Gladys West, mathematician for 42 years
in the U.S. Navy R&D Dahlgren Division
RECALL THIS MORNING…
Did you drink clean water today? Brush your teeth without concern for toxins like lead?
Thank the Environmental Protection Agency and Centers for Disease Control scientists
RECALL THIS MORNING…
Wrinkle-free Permanent Press Cotton:
Thank USDA Agricultural Research Service chemist Ruth Benerito
35+ FEDERAL
RESEARCH LABS
In Colorado:
35+ FEDERAL
RESEARCH LABS20+ RESEARCH UNIVERSITIES,
COLLEGES AND INSTITUTES
20+ INDUSTRY & ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT ORGS
35+ FEDERAL
RESEARCH LABS
20+ RESEARCH
UNIVERSITIES, COLLEGES
AND INSTITUTES
20+ INDUSTRY &
ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT ORGS
Elected Officials Media
35+ FEDERAL
RESEARCH LABS
20+ RESEARCH
UNIVERSITIES, COLLEGES
AND INSTITUTES
20+ INDUSTRY
& ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT
ORGS
Elected
OfficialsMedia
EXAMPLES OF FEDERAL RESEARCH LABS IN COLORADO:
Direct employment: nearly 7,800 employeesIndirect employment: 9,600 employees55% of lab employees have Master’s and/or PhD degrees
Source: CO-LABS 2016 Economic Impact Study
Federal Research Labs contribute $2.6
Billion Annually to the Colorado economy
EMPLOYEE LABOR SHED
OF COLORADO
FEDERAL LABS BY COUNTY
WHY SO MANY LABS IN COLORADO?
A BRIEF HISTORY
• Cold War and concentration of resources on coasts
• President Eisenhower’s love of Colorado
• Boulder city and business leaders secure farm -donate land (now site of NIST and NOAA)
Photo credit: Marti/JILA
Fundamental Technologies
Technology Transfer
CO-LABS BOARD OF DIRECTORS Dr. Alan Rudolph, Chair
Colorado State University
Makenzie Lystrup, Vice Chair
Ball Aerospace
Linda Rowan, Secretary
UNAVCO
Kristina Kesselring, Treasurer
Kesselring & Associates, CPA
Brian Payer, Past Chair
Sphera Solutions
Antonio (Tony) Busalacchi
University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR)
Craig Eicher
Xcel Energy
Jennifer Pinsonneault
City of Boulder
Bruce Dahl
Fennemore Craig, P.C.
Vicky Lea
Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation
Adam Bratis
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Dr. Victor Bright
University of Colorado - Boulder
Chris McKay
Battelle, Inc./National Ecological Observatory Network
Clif Harald
Boulder Economic Council
Shelly Curtiss
Colorado Cleantech Industries Association
Will Vaughan, PhD
Colorado School of Mines
Dr. Susanna Visser
Centers for Disease Control, Division of Vector Borne Diseases
Edgar Johansson
Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics
RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT
FUNDING
• We’re the biggest, but not growing at the same pace as others
• China is rapidly catching up; moving from imitation to innovation
Source: R&D Magazine Global Survey 2018
BRIEF SAMPLE - EFFORTS UNDERWAY
NIST ROI Initiative National Quantum Initiative
Congressional Innovation Caucus
CHALLENGES REMAIN
SO WHAT?
Credit: Society Foundation 3.0
Dan Powers, Executive Director
dan@co-labs.org 720-389-0455
www.co-labs.org @ColoradoCOLABS
#sciencematters
EXAMPLE: TAXES FUNDING INNOVATION
• Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences – a joint research institute between the University of Colorado – Boulder and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
• Can detect methane as tiny as 1/4th of a human breath from nearly a mile away using Frequency Comb Laser technology
REGULATION CAN SPUR INNOVATION & IMPLEMENTATION
• April 2018 – Colorado Governor Jared Polis signs new law requiring more strict control on oil & gas development.