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OUR VIEW: $8 million bestowed: Research grant shows state bond issue's value; we can help by doing our part, too

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August 21, 2008

The $8 million for the collaboration between several institutions of higher education, including Kent State University, regarding research on the surfaces of advance materials can advance the quality of life and become an economic boon if the materials developed are produced here.

The grant is part of the Third Frontier money that is being raised through a statewide bond issue Ohio voters approved during the second term of the Taft Administration, which recognized that without research money, new industry to replace the kinds dying or leaving the state would not take place. The idea is that research will lead to the founding of new companies, which can provide Ohio's citizens with good jobs.

Because of the KSU Liquid Crystal Institute and its spin-offs in the area, there is a good chance of some of the technologies being perfected economically benefiting our community. AlphaMicron, Kent Displays and Kent Optronics have located in Kent and Brimfield and so far they have remained, partly thanks to presence of Kent State and, in the case of AlphaMicron, the university making available its Centennial Research Park incubator facility.

If these companies can continue to be made to feel at home and remain in the area, all of us can benefit from their presence and the impact they will have on the local economy.

As aging industries pick up and leave or, in some cases, shutter their doors, these fledgling companies that take advantage of new technology can play a critical role in securing our future.

The state bond issue money is helping in that respect. Good economic development policies on the local level that help create ready-to-go sites and friendly treatment by government and the public are necessary, too.

But in addition, communities in Portage County need to continue to assess and work to improve the quality of life they can offer new employers because this plays a part in determining where they want to locate.

It's a combination of many factors that go into site location. We in Portage County need to support efforts to make this area as competitive as possible.




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