The Arizona Technology Council and its partner organization, the Southern Arizona Tech Council, unveiled their mutual 2006 legislative agenda. The agenda cited the importance of bolstering tax credits in support of research and development investments, and reiterated the council’s commitment to statewide business-development in technology.
The Arizona Technology Council is the largest technology association in Arizona serving all tech sectors, including the biotechnology sector, across the state. The Southern Arizona Tech Council is a nonprofit organization that promotes high-tech industry economic development in Tucson and Southern Arizona.
“To build a knowledge-based economy, we must continue to focus on research and development across our universities and businesses and commit to technology-based business development,” said Donna Kent, president and chief executive officer of the Arizona Technology Council. “We plan to build on our legislative-agenda successes from 2005 and keep the momentum going.”
As part of that effort, the councils will focus advocacy work on boosting collaboration between the public and private sectors. One approach would be to bump up tax credits for firms that invest in new, joint research-and-development activities with universities.
Arizona’s Bioscience Roadmap lists an unfavorable tax structure as a weakness facing Arizona in its effort to become a leader in the biosciences.
The tech councils also set out a number of advisory objectives for the coming year, including increasing support for education and bringing the legislative and technological communities up to speed on the processes, ethics, advantages, and disadvantages of stem-cell research.
For more information:
Arizona Technology Council press release, 12/14/2005