1. A. There is hereby created within the Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology (OCAST), the Oklahoma Aerospace Institute (OAI) to serve as a strategic partnership that will focus available resources to promote cooperation and collaboration among Oklahoma businesses, manufacturers, military installations, commercial aviation, higher education institutions, nonprofit research institutions, and state government for the purpose of strengthening Oklahoma’s economy. Contingent upon the availability of funds, OCAST may employ established program processes or may contract with other qualified entities to operate OAI which will consist of the following initiatives:

   1. 1. Center of Excellence for Aerospace Technology (COEAT); and
   2. 2. Center for Aerospace Supplier Quality (CASQ).

2. B. The CASQ is designed to serve as a conduit between Oklahoma’s military installations and aerospace industry to promote quick response to opportunities that will:

   1. 1. Increase Department of Defense awards in Oklahoma;
   2. 2. Create and retain more high-wage, high-skill jobs;
   3. 3. Strengthen collaborations between businesses and aerospace interests;
   4. 4. Reduce the flow of federal defense contract dollars to out-of-state businesses;
   5. 5. Increase Oklahoma’s small aerospace firms;
   6. 6. Provide engineering/technical assistance;
   7. 7. Provide more manufacturing sources for Oklahoma military installations and aerospace industry; and
   8. 8. Reduce costs and increase competitiveness for Oklahoma military installations and aerospace industry.
3. C. The COEAT will be a center of excellence for applied research and will primarily undertake applied research, development and technology transfer that has long-term potential for commercial development. The center should build on institutional strengths and conduct activity in areas of research in which the participating research institutions and businesses have achieved or have true promise of attaining a standard of excellence in applied research and development.

4. D. OCAST shall award funding to the Center of Excellence for Aerospace Technology (COEAT) contingent on the availability of funds and only after:

   1. 1. Developing, adopting and publishing the criteria it shall use when evaluating centers of excellence; and

   2. 2. Reviewing proposals for new or established centers of excellence containing:

      1. a. documentation that not less than fifty percent (50%) of the center's total funding will be provided by sources other than OCAST and other than state-appropriated money,
      2. b. a description of the proposed center's potential contribution to the state's economic development interests,
      3. c. an itemized operations budget, and
      4. d. other information that may be required by the OCAST board.

5. E. The board may approve proposals to establish the Center of Excellence for Aerospace Technology (COEAT) only after the board finds, based upon the proposal submitted, external peer reviews, and such additional investigation as the staff of OCAST shall make and incorporate in its minutes that:

   1. 1. The proposed center of excellence involves higher education institution(s), nonprofit research institution(s), and private enterprise;
   2. 2. The proposed center of excellence is funded at Nine Hundred Thousand Dollars ($900,000.00), or so much thereof as is needed, per year for five (5) years, above the annual appropriation for OCAST;
   3. 3. The proposed center of excellence has the potential to stimulate economic development in Oklahoma by fostering partnership between Oklahoma military installations, higher education institutions, nonprofit research institutions, and businesses; and
   4. 4. The proposed center has the long-term potential to benefit Oklahoma’s military installations and the state’s aerospace industry through innovation and development of new technology.
6. F. Any commercialized research that results from the funding of the Center of Excellence for Aerospace Technology shall be subject to negotiations and policies pursuant to the provisions of this act.

Added by Laws 2006, HB 2819, c. 263, § 1, emerg. eff. July 1, 2006.