Home 

In 1904, two brothers, Wilbur and Orville Wright, tested what they called a flyer in the Huffman Prairie Field, just north of Dayton. More than 100 years later, Ohioans continue to build upon that remarkable legacy of creativity and innovation with world-class research in biomedicine, advanced energy, advanced propulsion, instruments-controls-electronics, and advanced materials.

The Technology and Innovation Division builds research capacity in targeted technology areas with commercial opportunity, supports the development of new technology-based commercial products to help ensure Ohio’s companies remain competitive within the global marketplace, fosters the growth of early-stage Ohio technology companies, and attracts new technology companies to the state. In 2005 alone, Ohio’s private sector spent $5.9 billion on research and development.

Targeted investments through Ohio’s ten-year, $1.6 billion Ohio Third Frontier provide the inspiration and resources for Ohio’s inventors, engineers, doctors, and researchers to flourish. Ohio’s Third Frontier expands Ohio’s high-tech research capabilities that are designed to accelerate the pace of commercialization within Ohio. The focused investments seek to sustain the development of new innovative products by addressing technical and cost barriers hindering market adoption.

Initiatives such as the Technology Investment Tax Credit, the Ohio Venture Capital Authority, and the Ohio Third Frontier Pre-Seed and Seed Fund Initiatives demonstrate our state’s commitment to stimulating Ohio’s financial capital markets to help ensure that Ohio’s early-stage technology companies grow and prosper in the state.

The Technology and Innovation Division further works to cultivate Ohio’s entrepreneurs by increasing their access to Ohio’s rich technology-based assets. The Ohio Third Frontier Entrepreneurial Signature Program and Edison Technology Incubator Program significantly increase Ohio’s technology-based entrepreneurial commercialization outcomes by providing business assistance and access to capital to accelerate the growth of early stage Ohio technology companies. Our partners, strategically located to serve every region of our state, deliver world-class assistance to Ohio’s emerging growth companies.

Ohio’s Edison Technology Centers foster the advancement of applied research and development with the long-term objective of increasing the competitiveness of existing companies within Ohio’s key industry sectors. The Edison Technology Centers provide a variety of product and process innovation and commercialization services that result in new product designs, enhanced productivity, and cost reduction measures for established and early-stage businesses. Ohio is home to research laboratories that find new, innovative ways for businesses to thrive, including TechSolve, the largest independent machining laboratory in the nation.

The Division’s impact is predicated on our successful collaborations with partners from industry, academia, and the non-profit sector located throughout Ohio, entities such as: the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, American Trim, TechColumbus, the University System of Ohio, Rolls-Royce, Toledo Regional Growth Partnership, BioOhio, Hamilton County Business Center, JumpStart, Diagnostic HYBRIDS, CincyTech USA, Dayton Development Corporation, and the Youngstown Business Incubator. As a result of these collaborative partnerships, Ohio is well-positioned to leverage the strongholds of our inventive past with the innovative promises and new technologies of our economic future.