The $31 billion construction program signed by Governor Quinn yesterday includes funding for technology research and development, emerging technology funds, broadband deployment and more.  According to a business brief in the Chicago Tribune:

• • $15 million for an emerging technology fund.
• • $50 million for broadband deployment, which could be used by communities and schools to buy broadband and related technology equipment.
• • $10 million for electric car infrastructure that could help Illinois develop manufacturing and/or research-and-development offices for the next generation of automobiles.
• • Nearly $100 million for research-and-development facilities and projects at universities and federal laboratories.
• • $60 million for a petascale supercomputing center at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
• • $7 million for Argonne National Laboratories for an advanced protein crystallization facility.
• • $5 million for Northwestern University to support a new science and technology research facility.

These investments are a good step forward by the state legislature and Governor Quinn in creating an environment that will spur jobs and economic growth throughout Illinois’ technology industry.  Updating regulation and encouraging private investment in the state are other great ways to encourage growth in the technology field. 

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