Governor Tony Evers today urged Wisconsin’s congressional delegation to give careful consideration to a new proposal that would provide up to $100 billion in the next decade to fund technological entrepreneurship and innovation in so-called “heartland” states.
A report released today jointly by the Metropolitan Policy Program at the Brookings Institution and the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) notes the growing economic gap between a handful of highest technology, highest R&D “superstar” metropolitan areas, mostly located on the east and west coasts, and the rest of the country.
The report, The Case for Growth Centers, calls for federal funding of up to $10 billion annually over the next 10 years to advance “eight to 10 new regional growth centers across the heartland.” The federal money would include increased support for institutions of higher education, workforce development, and potential tax incentives for investments in these new regional tech centers.
In a letter to Wisconsin’s members of Congress, Governor Evers noted that the report identifies Madison and Milwaukee high among the top 20 best-positioned communities in the country to become major tech innovation growth centers.
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