Iowa Code
Chapter 15 - ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
Section 15.117A - Iowa innovation council.

15.117A Iowa innovation council.
1. An Iowa innovation council is established within the authority. The authority shall provide the council with staff and administrative support. The authority may expend moneys allocated to the innovation and commercialization division in order to provide such support. The authority may adopt rules for the implementation of this section.
2. The council shall consist of the following members:
a. Twenty-nine voting members as follows:
(1) Twenty members selected by the board to serve staggered, two-year terms beginning and ending as provided in section 69.19. Of the members selected by the board, fourteen shall be representatives from businesses in the targeted industries and six shall be individuals who serve on the technology commercialization committee created in section 15.116, or other committees of the board, and who have expertise with the targeted industries. At least ten of the members selected pursuant to this subparagraph shall be executives actively engaged in the management of a business in a targeted industry. The members selected pursuant to this paragraph shall reflect the size and diversity of businesses in the targeted industries and of the various geographic areas of the state.
(2) One member, selected by the board, who has experience supporting businesses in the targeted industries.
(3) The director of the authority, or the director’s designee.
(4) The chief technology officer appointed pursuant to section 15.117.
(5) The director of the department of workforce development, or the director’s designee.
(6) The president of the state university of Iowa, or the president’s designee.
(7) The president of Iowa state university of science and technology, or the president’s designee.
(8) The president of the university of northern Iowa, or the president’s designee.
(9) Two community college presidents from geographically diverse areas of the state, selected by the Iowa association of community college trustees.
b. Four members of the general assembly serving two-year terms in a nonvoting, ex officio capacity, with two from the senate and two from the house of representatives and not more than one member from each chamber being from the same political party. The two senators shall be designated one member each by the president of the senate after consultation with the majority leader of the senate, and by the minority leader of the senate. The two representatives shall be designated one member each by the speaker of the house of representatives after consultation with the majority leader of the house of representatives, and by the minority leader of the house of representatives.
c. A vacancy on the council shall be filled in the same manner as the original selection and shall be for the remainder of the term.
3. To be eligible to serve as a designee pursuant to subsection 2, a person must have sufficient authority to make decisions on behalf of the organization being represented. A person named as a designee pursuant to subsection 2 shall not name a designee nor permit a substitute to attend council meetings.
4. The chief technology officer appointed pursuant to section 15.117 shall be the chairperson of the council and shall be responsible for convening meetings of the council and coordinating its activities and shall convene the council at least annually. The council shall annually elect one of the voting members to serve as vice chairperson. A majority of the members of the council constitutes a quorum. However, the chief technology officer shall not convene a meeting of the council unless the director of the authority, or the director’s designee, is present at the meeting.
5. The purpose of the council is to advise the authority on the development and implementation of public policies that enhance innovation and entrepreneurship in the targeted industries, with a particular focus on the information, technology, and skills that increasingly dominate the twenty-first century economy. Such advice may include evaluating Iowa’s competitive position in the global economy, reviewing the technology typically utilized in the state’s manufacturing sector, assessing the state’s overall scientific research capacity, keeping abreast of the latest scientific research and technological breakthroughs and offering guidance as to their impact on public policy, recommending strategies that foster innovation, increase new business formation, and otherwise promote economic growth in the targeted industries, and offering guidance about future developments in the targeted industries.
6. The council shall do all of the following:
a. Create a comprehensive strategic plan for implementing specific policies that further the purpose of the council as described in subsection 5. In creating the plan and implementing such policies, the council may consult with the corporation established pursuant to section 15.107.
b. Review annually all of the economic development programs administered by the authority and the board that relate to the targeted industries and make recommendations for adjustments that enhance efficiency and effectiveness. In reviewing the programs, the council shall, to the greatest extent possible, utilize economic development data and research in order to make objective, fact-based recommendations.
c. Act as a forum where issues affecting the research community, the targeted industries, and policymakers can be discussed and addressed and where collaborative relationships can be formed.
d. Coordinate state government applications for federal funds relating to research and economic development affecting the targeted industries.
e. Conduct industry research and draft documents that provide background information for use in decision making by the general assembly, the governor, the authority, and other policymaking bodies within state government.
f. Review and make recommendations on all applications received by the authority for financial assistance under the Iowa strategic infrastructure program pursuant to section 15.313.
2010 Acts, ch 1070, §4; 2011 Acts, ch 34, §4; 2011 Acts, ch 118, §16, 85, 89; 2012 Acts, ch 1018, §3; 2012 Acts, ch 1023, §6; 2012 Acts, ch 1126, §30; 2014 Acts, ch 1124, §13, 25; 2019 Acts, ch 139, §11
Referred to in §15.105, 15.106B, 15.107A
2019 amendment to subsection 2, paragraph a, subparagraphs (1) and (2) does not affect the appointment or term of a member serving on the Iowa innovation council immediately prior to July 1, 2019;
2019 Acts, ch 139, §12

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