R&D progress

The National Science Foundation’s latest account of research and development investment shows Maine leading the nation in the percentage of increased funding since 1993. It’s an effort that hasn’t moved this state up the ranking much (from 50th to 49th in academic R&D) but shows that Maine is heading in the right direction to do what it must to grow economically in fields with bright futures. The recent successes resulting from R&D are further evidence that steady increases in investment will pay in several ways for Maine.

Top honors for academic research investment for 2000 go to the District of Columbia, Maryland, Massachusetts, Alaska and Iowa. Even the 114 percent increase in Maine’s academic R&D spending leaves it small potatoes compared with those states. But this isn’t reason to be discouraged because just four years after Augusta began to take this issue seriously projects at the University of Maine are showing impressive results: about $8 million in state funding in 2001 resulted in more than $40 million in leveraged federal money. It has to patents or patents pending in wood composites, paper production, food processing, chemical sensors, fuel-spill prevention and intelligent-system software.

With the help of the private sector, the Maine Technology Institute, the state’s business incubators, the Department of Economic Development and the State Planning Office (these are listed to offer a sense of the many hands needed to move an idea from successful basic research to the production of a commercial product) among others, researchers are turning the R&D investments into real jobs. At the same

time, this money provides resources and real-world experience to students who, it

is hoped, can apply their education to growing industries in Maine.

Maine lawmakers have been farsighted in starting this investment from essentially nothing in 1996 and Maine voters have been generous in approving R&D bonds. Both groups might be discouraged when they see almost all other states still outpacing Maine and do not see a Silicon Valley springing up around Orono. They shouldn’t be. Even in this creeping recession, good things are happening.

If state leaders are to make an improvement to the R&D process in the near future, it might be to review what has occurred in the last four years and begin emphasizing some areas of research where Maine might have even more success. This means, of course, de-emphasizing other areas, but with a limited budget that is necessary. But the main point remains to keep this valuable investment in Maine going in good economic times and bad.