Oregon readies sustainability research center

A proposed Oregon Center for Sustainable Systems and Innovation could nudge “sustainability” closer to the center of economic development circles in Oregon from this fall forward.

The Oregon Center for Sustainable Systems and Innovation incorporates three focus areas: biobased product research, clean energy, and green building and development research. Each focus area was originally conceived as its own research center.The final proposal, which originally requested $7.5 million, was reduced to about $3 million. By placing bioproducts at the core of the center, the proposal hopes to provide economic development opportunities in rural areas of the state — not justthe Portland metro area.

“The common thread was, let’s look at how we can leverage the natural resources unique to the Pacific Northwest,” said Glenn Montgomery, sustainable business liaison for the Oregon Economic and Community Development Department.

The center also hopes to leverage its unique approach to gain national visibility and additional research dollars, Montgomery said.

“We want to maintain a holistic, closed-loop, Cradle to Cradle-type approach to the research that is conducted in this center,” Montgomery said. “With that in mind, it’s taking a very different approach to commercialization.”

Instituting signature research centers is a key economic development strategy of the Oregon Innovation Plan. Early economic analysis suggests each $1 million invested in research and development activities conducted by such centers creates about 22 jobs — roughly a one-to-one return on investment, Montgomery said.