JAII
FarSounder CEO and MOTN President Vows Support to Mass Technology Council Grant
Continuing to strengthen the Commonwealth’s marine science &
technology sector in southeastern Massachusetts, the John Adams
Innovation Institute is making critical investments to support research
and commercialization of new technologies.
As the economic development arm of the Massachusetts Technology
Collaborative, the Innovation Institute is working with UMass
Dartmouth’s SouthCoast Development Partnership (SCDP) to expand the
Marine and Oceanographic Technology Network (MOTN), an industry
association for southern New England.
“The marine technology sector in Massachusetts continues to grow,
and this latest investment will provide the strategic framework
necessary to corral institutional efforts and focus industry growth for
long-term success,” said Senate President Therese Murray (D-Plymouth).
“I congratulate the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, UMass
Dartmouth and MOTN for working together and thinking ahead to secure
the Commonwealth’s place as a leader in the maritime sciences.”
Through a $44,000 regional priority award, the SCDP will craft a
strategic plan that strengthens MOTN and helps to organize the marine
science and technology industry cluster around a clearly defined
mission, informing the strategies and investments of a wide range of
economic actors. Job creation in the sector and the further development
of a skilled workforce are both anticipated outcomes of the investment.
“The ocean has played a dynamic and vital role throughout the South
Coast’s economic, social and political history. This state investment
will help create quality jobs, provide a spur to the economy, and
further progress Greater New Bedford as the industry benchmark in the
marine science field, ” said Senator Mark Montigny (D-New Bedford).
“The marine science and technology sector has the potential to
become to southeastern Massachusetts and the Cape what the biotech
cluster is for Cambridge,” said John Adams Innovation Institute
Director Patrick Larkin. “Cheryl Zimmerman, Tom Curry and their team
are making great strides to invigorate MOTN as a key voice for this
exciting industry sector.”
“A strong, centralized industry voice will not only enhance
immediate opportunities for economic growth in the region, but will
enable institutional collaborations so critical to the long term
prosperity of this sector,” said Tom Curry of the Southcoast
Development Partnership.
With approximately $1.5 billion in total sales generated annually
by marine science and technology companies in Massachusetts, the sector
is among the fastest growing areas of the Commonwealth’s knowledge
economy.
“With activity continuing to boom in the marine sciences in
Massachusetts and significant federal funding continuing to flow into
the sector, we look forward to working with the Southcoast Development
Partnership and MTC’s John Adams Innovation Institute to most
effectively organize the industry,” said Cheryl Zimmerman, President of
MOTN.
The Innovation Institute is investing in a wide range of activities
to develop the marine sciences industry in Massachusetts, including:
Developing a new “innovation accelerator” to translate research in
the marine science sector into job creation and business formation by
providing funding and assistance to the Regional Technology Development
Corporation of Cape Cod. RTDC is collaborating with the Marine
Biological Laboratory and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, as
well as the Falmouth Economic Development Corporation, focused on
technology commercialization.
Partnering with the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution’s ocean
observation system and providing a $10 million award to help WHOI win a
$97.7 million federal research award.
Working to establish UMass Dartmouth’s Center of Excellence in
Applied Ocean Systems, which has a strong focus on coastal modeling and
novel data acquisition systems, through a $150,000 Development Grant
award. This Center is working with the network of researchers and
marine infrastructure that are located throughout New England and the
mid-Atlantic states, building on the significant human and
infrastructure capacity present in Massachusetts at the University of
Massachusetts campuses in Dartmouth, Boston, Lowell, and Amherst, other
academic institutions in Greater Boston and Woods Hole, and companies
in Marion, Falmouth, and other locations in southern New England.
These research initiatives will lead to the creation of new
products that solve challenges and problems in the ocean environment
and meet the existing and the emerging demand for innovation in the
global markets. MOTN will help to identify business opportunities for
firms to become engaged as suppliers of products and services,
collaborative R&D partners, or developers of information.
“As Massachusetts continues to position itself for global
leadership in the marine sciences, our ability to enhance communication
between firms, researchers, and policymakers is vital. MOTN will
provide this very necessary organizational support,” said Susan Avery,
President and Director of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
The announcement of the SCDP/MOTN award is being made tonight at
7:00 PM at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute’s Quissett campus.
For more information about the event, please visit www.motn.org/MOTN_Events/May272008Event.htm.
###
The John Adams Innovation Institute is the economic development
division of the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative. The Innovation
Institute makes targeted, strategic investments to grow and strengthen
industry clusters, to support the research enterprise in Massachusetts,
and to grow the Commonwealth’s knowledge-based Innovation Economy,
region by region, sector by sector. To learn more, visit
www.masstech.org.