Section 216B.815 Regional Energy Research and Education Partnership - Minnesota Statutes

216B.815 REGIONAL ENERGY RESEARCH AND EDUCATION PARTNERSHIP.

(a) The state's public research and higher education institutions should work with one another and with similar institutions in the region to establish Minnesota and the Upper Midwest as a center of research, education, outreach, and technology transfer for the production of renewable energy and products, including hydrogen, fuel cells, and related technologies. The partnership should be designed to create a critical mass of research and education capability that can compete effectively for federal and private investment in these areas.

(b) The partnership must include an advisory committee comprised of government, industry, academic, and nonprofit representatives to help focus its research and education efforts on the most critical issues.

(c) Initiatives undertaken by the partnership may include:

(1) collaborative and interdisciplinary research, demonstration projects, and commercialization of market-ready technologies;

(2) creation of undergraduate and graduate course offerings and eventually degreed and vocational programs with reciprocity;

(3) establishment of fellows programs at the region's institutes of higher learning that provide financial incentives for relevant study, research, and exchange; and

(4) development and field-testing of relevant curricula, teacher kits for all educational levels, and widespread teacher training, in collaboration with state energy offices, teachers, nonprofits, businesses, the United States Department of Energy, and other interested parties.

History:

2005 c 97 art 13 s 3