Authority: Discretionary Inclusion.
1. State, federal and private support totaling $205,540,687 in Items 153, 154, 161, 163, 164, 179, 180, 193, 194, 204, 205, 221, 222, 242, 245, 250, 251 are provided to strengthen leading research programs at public institutions of higher education in the Commonwealth. Funding is provided to support biomedical research and biomaterials engineering, modeling and simulation, to increase support for graduate students, and to expand research programs in Southside Virginia.
2. Nongeneral fund amounts included in the aforementioned Items represent the institutions' contributions to enhancing their research programs. These ongoing amounts shall be invested in support of research programs including but not limited to those identified in each Item.
3. a. Out of this appropriation, $5,000,000 the first year and $1,000,000 the second year from the general fund is designated for the Commonwealth Technology Research Fund pursuant to § 2.2-2233.1., Code of Virginia. These funds shall be used to enhance research opportunities at public institutions of higher education in the Commonwealth in accordance with § 2.2-2233.1 C. of the Code of Virginia. primarily to enhance the capability of institutions of higher education to commercialize technologies, developed through their research. Specifically, these funds shall support collaborative, translational research aimed at commercialization of discoveries, including pre-investment funding to support prototyping and proof-of-concept testing. Awards from the Fund shall be matched on at least a dollar-for-dollar basis by the respective institutions of higher education with institutional funds, private funds, local funds or combinations thereof.
b. The Governor is authorized to expend $3,000,000 the first year from the general fund to provide an incentive for the location of a research-related entity along the Interstate 81 corridor.
4. The Director, Department of Planning and Budget shall transfer $300,000 from the general fund each year to the Virginia Department of Economic Development to support modeling and simulation research specifically an emergency management training simulation.
5. Out of this appropriation, $500,000 the second year from the general fund is designated to support the Christopher Reeve Stem Cell Research Fund. This fund supports medical and biomedical stem cell research conducted in the Commonwealth's institutions of higher education relating to the causes and cures of disease.
6. a. Out of this appropriation, the Director, Department of Planning and Budget, shall transfer $1,000,000 the second year from the general fund to the University of Virginia to support cancer research.
b. Out of this appropriation, the Director, Department of Planning and Budget, shall transfer $1,000,000 the second year from the general fund to Virginia Commonwealth University to support cancer research.
c. 1. Out of this appropriation, $1,500,000 the second year from the general fund is designated for the Virginia Coastal Energy Research Consortium (VCERC) to implement research and development of Virginia's marine renewable energy resources, with an initial focus on offshore winds, waves, and marine biomass. These funding amounts are necessary for (but not limited to) energy resource assessment, characterization of extreme storm survival conditions and sea floor anchoring and foundation properties, identification of potential environmental concerns, new technology research and development to enable project installations in deeper offshore waters “over the horizon,” and realistic evaluation of economic benefits and new business opportunities for Virginia's maritime industry. These funds are necessary to support VCERC's close engagement of the Mineral Management Service (MMS) to ensure that the new MMS rules for alternative energy uses of the outer continental shelf, as well as the 2007-2012 offshore leasing program now being formulated, are well-supported by data and have the best possible terms for Virginia. These funds also are required for assessment of the Virginia Tech Agricultural Extension and Research Center as an anchor and field laboratory for VCERC studies related to the nearby access to deepwater and offshore research projects.
2. The distribution of these cost-sharing funds shall be designated by the VCERC Board of Directors for proposals involving VCERC institutions working together. Old Dominion University will fund the support for the VCERC organization as required and provide industry sub-contracting as appropriate to support research and industry collaboration.
3. It is intended that VCERC shall operate following the administrative model of the Virginia Space Grant Consortium, employing Old Dominion Research Foundation as its fiscal agent.
4. Funding contained in c.1. is contingent on the Virginia Coastal Energy Research Consortium (VCERC) and/or the member institutions being able to document existing financial investments in such research activities from other federal or private funds.