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1999 SESSION


SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 502
Requesting the Secretary of Technology to conduct a study that results in a coordinated research and development (R&D) policy for the Commonwealth.

Agreed to by the Senate, February 8, 1999
Agreed to by the House of Delegates, February 16, 1999

WHEREAS, the Commonwealth of Virginia has extensive assets in its institutions of higher education and federal laboratories which can significantly impact economic, social, and educational opportunities of the 21st century; and

WHEREAS, within the confines of Virginia's institutions of higher education and federal laboratories, a wealth of knowledge, information, and experience has accumulated; and

WHEREAS, efforts have been made to establish and maintain intradepartmental and interdepartmental and intrainstitutional and interinstitutional sharing and collaboration across departments and institutions and organizations, including the private sector; and

WHEREAS, the Secretary of Technology is a newly created cabinet position, which is the first such cabinet-level position for technology in the nation and which is charged with monitoring trends and advances in fundamental technologies of interest and importance to the economy of the Commonwealth and directing and approving a stakeholder-driven technology strategy development process that results in a comprehensive and coordinated view of research and development goals for industry, academia, and government in the Commonwealth; and

WHEREAS, there is currently no comprehensive plan for the collaborative utilization of these valuable research and development assets; and

WHEREAS, a statewide effort to integrate the valuable wealth of knowledge, information, and experience, especially as they relate to the research and development of science and technology assets housed within the confines of the institutions of higher education, federal laboratories, and the private sector, would result in greater collaborations; and

WHEREAS, such an effort would enhance the facilitation of resources, capture the opportunities, and optimize the use of resources to benefit the economic prosperity of the Commonwealth; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the Secretary of Technology, in consultation with institutions of higher education, federal laboratories, and the private sector, and with the assistance of Virginia's Center for Innovative Technology, be requested to study and develop a coordinated research and development (R&D) policy for the Commonwealth. Included among the Secretary's findings and recommendations shall be the identification of assets and opportunities for collaboration and coordinated efforts, the identification of mechanisms already in place that facilitate such goals, and the identification of any barriers and obstacles for greater collaboration; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Secretary's study shall include a review of the intellectual property policies and procedures of the institutions of higher education and federal laboratories, incentives to participate in joint ventures, and best practices by which intellectual resources can be linked to commercialization to benefit the economy of Virginia. In addition, the study findings and recommendations shall suggest ways that an increased awareness of these assets and mechanisms might result in greater collaborations.

All agencies of the Commonwealth shall provide assistance to the Secretary for this study, upon request.

The Secretary shall complete his work in time to submit his findings and recommendations to the Joint Commission on Technology and Science, the Governor, and the 2000 Session of the General Assembly as provided in the procedures of the Division of Legislative Automated Systems for the processing of legislative documents.