It is found and declared that there exists in the state a great and growing need for industrial and commercial development and activity to provide and maintain employment and tax revenues; that the creation of new technology-based businesses represents an important source of new jobs for the economy of the state; that it is essential for existing business and industry to innovate and adopt new state-of-the-art processes and techniques in order for such business and industry to expand, to create and retain employment and to better compete in the global marketplace; that the public and private sectors need to build partnerships that will foster a greater entrepreneurial climate in the state; that assistance and encouragement of industrial and commercial development to provide and maintain such employment and revenues is an important function of the state; that the ability to attract funds and provide financial assistance for basic research into potential new products and processes and for the conversion of such research into commercial products and new businesses is an important inducement to entrepreneurs and to industrial and commercial enterprises to begin operations, remain or locate in this state; that there exists in the state a serious shortage of seed venture capital to promote the development and exploitation of inventions and products; that this shortage has resulted and will result in a serious decrease in the development of new business enterprise and job opportunities in Connecticut; that there exists in the state a need for a uniform state policy on all matters of science and technology; that there exists in the state a need for a coordinated, centralized clearinghouse to provide entrepreneurs with easy access to scientific research, technology information, technical assistance, financial capital and other resources for the creation and retention of new jobs and businesses; that there exists in the state a need to stimulate and provide services to industry that will advance the adoption and utilization of technology and achieve improvements in the quality of products and services; that there exists in the state a need to promote science, engineering, mathematics and other disciplines that are essential to technology development and application; and, further, that providing state financial assistance for the development of products, innovation and invention for industry in this state will assist in the creation of new products and industry in this state, resulting in increased employment and public revenues; and therefore the necessity in the public interest and for the public benefit and good for the provisions of this chapter is hereby declared as a matter of legislative determination. It is further found and declared that Connecticut ranks very high among the states on a per capita basis in the amount of prime defense contracts awarded; that the economies of many areas in the state and the employment opportunities offered by many businesses in the state are heavily defense-dependent and would suffer severe adverse impacts in the event of prime defense contract cutbacks; that there exists a great and growing need for assistance to and encouragement of defense-dependent businesses and other businesses and enterprises in finding solutions for the problems related to defense conversion and in executing new technologies which will maintain employment and tax revenues in the event of prime defense contract cutbacks; that assistance and encouragement of defense-dependent businesses and other businesses and enterprises in finding solutions for the problems related to defense conversion and in executing new technologies which will maintain employment and tax revenues in the event of prime defense contract cutbacks is an important function of the state; that the availability of financial assistance is an important inducement to defense-dependent businesses and to other businesses and enterprises to remain or locate in this state and to develop non-defense-related capacities or expand their existing non-defense-related capacities; that there exists in this state a serious shortage of seed venture capital to promote the development and exploitation of non-defense-related invention and products; that this shortage has resulted and will result in a serious decrease in job opportunities in the event of prime defense contract cutbacks; and, further, that providing state financial assistance for the development of products, innovation and invention for defense conversion by defense-dependent businesses and other businesses and enterprises in this state will assist in the creation of new products and industry in this state, reducing the dependency of the businesses in this state on defense contracts, and resulting in the maintenance of employment and public revenues in the event of prime defense contract cutbacks; and therefore the necessity in the public interest and for the public benefit and good for the provisions of this chapter is hereby declared as a matter of legislative determination.

(1972, P.A. 248, S. 2; P.A. 80-267, S. 1; P.A. 89-245, S. 7.)

History: P.A. 80-267 added provision re state economy's dependence upon prime defense contracts; P.A. 89-245 added findings re the creation of new technology-based business, the need for existing business and industry to innovate, the need to build partnerships to foster a greater entrepreneurial climate, the importance of attracting funds and providing financial assistance for research into new products and processes, the need for a uniform state science and technology policy, the need for a centralized clearinghouse, the need to provide services to advance the adoption and utilization of technology and improve the quality of products and services and the need to promote academic discipline essential to technology development and application, and made certain technical changes.

Cited. 167 C. 111.