00Enrolled SCR 10                                                                                                         
01 Proclaiming 2019 to be the Year of Innovation in Alaska.                                                                
02                                         _______________                                                                 
03 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                             
04      WHEREAS growing Alaska's economy is imperative to improving the lives of                                           
05 Alaskans; and                                                                                                           
06      WHEREAS ingenuity and innovation support a dynamic economy and can help                                            
07 diversify Alaska's economic base; and                                                                                   
08      WHEREAS innovation is a new product or process that creates value and drives                                       
09 growth; while innovation is not limited to technology, innovative technology has transformed                            
10 industries like health care, transportation, and education; and                                                         
11      WHEREAS entrepreneurship is key to commercializing innovations; researchers have                                   
12 found a link between technological innovation and economic development; and cutting-edge                                
13 technology lies at the heart of economic leadership; and                                                                
14      WHEREAS entrepreneurs entering the state's market spur economic growth, and                                        
15 diversifying Alaska's economy through innovation can help address Alaska's fiscal                                       
16 challenges; and                                                                                                         
17      WHEREAS Alaskans are innovators by necessity, with Native peoples, pioneers,                                       

01 explorers, miners, fishermen, builders, soldiers, scientists, loggers, engineers, teachers, law                         
02 enforcement personnel, oil field workers, entrepreneurs, students, artists, and all hard-working                        
03 Alaskans responding to the state's geography and climate with forward-thinking solutions;                               
04 and                                                                                                                     
05      WHEREAS the National Bureau of Economic Research reports that nearly all new                                       
06 job creation annually comes from startups; without new businesses, job creation in the United                           
07 States would have been negative over the last 30 years, with firms in their first year                                  
08 responsible for creating an average of 3,000,000 jobs a year; and                                                       
09      WHEREAS data-driven innovation is a key pillar of 21st century growth, through                                     
10 significantly enhanced productivity, economic competitiveness, and social well-being; and                               
11      WHEREAS innovation must be culturally and publicly encouraged, and Alaska                                          
12 should pursue policies that foster creativity and new ideas that create an environment where                            
13 entrepreneurs can thrive and thereby improve and strengthen the economy of the state; and                               
14      WHEREAS best practices for innovation incorporate principles that speed up                                         
15 economic development and reduce the risks of traditional business planning approaches; and                              
16      WHEREAS a Year of Innovation "pipeline" has been established through                                               
17 collaboration between regional and statewide economic development organizations,                                        
18 universities, investors, business support professionals, and entrepreneurs across the state,                            
19 through the use of collaborative work spaces, and through aligning events, such as the Arctic                           
20 Innovation Competition, the Innovation Summit, Alaska Startup Week, and the Launch:                                     
21 Alaska accelerator program; and                                                                                         
22      WHEREAS collaborative efforts, such as Innovate Alaska 2.0, can diversify the                                      
23 state's economic base by creating an entrepreneurial and innovation ecosystem, by                                       
24 empowering import and export businesses, and by engaging the next generation of Alaska                                  
25 entrepreneurs, ensuring that Alaskans' great ideas have a clear pathway to market success; and                          
26      WHEREAS university research contributes to the development of intellectual                                         
27 property, interdisciplinary entrepreneurial programming and education, and effective                                    
28 technology transfer and is a vital component of an effective innovation ecosystem; and                                  
29      WHEREAS a strong innovation ecosystem depends on the sponsorship and                                               
30 promotion of innovations by existing companies as well as the development of new industries                             
31 by new strategic ventures; and                                                                                          

01      WHEREAS the Juneau Economic Development Council hosts an annual innovation                                         
02 summit that brings together innovators in the state who move Alaska forward by maintaining,                             
03 expanding, and creating jobs and economic opportunities; in addition, the innovation summit                             
04 provides a platform for inductees to the Alaska Innovators Hall of Fame to share exemplary                              
05 efforts to grow a culture of innovation in the state; and                                                               
06      WHEREAS 20 percent of innovations come from collaborations between multiple                                        
07 institutions, half of which are public-private partnerships between private companies and                               
08 universities or government research labs;                                                                               
09      BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature proclaims 2019 as the Year of                                     
10 Innovation in Alaska.