(a) The Department of Economic and Community Development shall, within available appropriations, establish a grant program to provide a flexible source of funding for the creation and generation of talent in institutions of higher education and, with appropriate connections to technical education and career schools and other secondary schools, for student outreach and development. Grants pursuant to this subsection shall be awarded to institutions of higher education and may be used to:

(1) Upgrade instructional laboratories to meet specific industry-standard laboratory and instrumentation skill requirements;

(2) Develop new curriculum and certificate and degree programs at the associate, bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate levels, tied to industry identified needs;

(3) Develop seamlessly articulated career development programs in workforce shortage areas forecasted pursuant to subdivision (10) of subsection (b) of § 4-124w in collaboration with technical education and career schools and other secondary schools and institutions of higher education;

(4) Support undergraduate and graduate student research projects and experimental learning activities; and

(5) Establish a nanotechnology postsecondary education program and clearinghouse for curriculum development, scholarships and student outreach.

(b) The Department of Economic and Community Development shall, within available appropriations, establish a grant program to provide funding for the advancement of research capabilities and research opportunities. Grants pursuant to this subsection shall be awarded to institutions of higher education and technology focused organizations and may be used to:

(1) Recruit eminent faculty in basic and applied research;

(2) Leverage federal funding for research centers;

(3) Provide pilot funding for faculty to develop initial research data for the development of larger grant funding proposals and to nonstate granting entities, such as federal agencies; and

(4) Establish a Connecticut Nanotechnology Collaboration Initiative to foster industry-university relationships by providing:

(A) Discovery grants, not to exceed fifty thousand dollars, to support post-doctorate or graduate students working with industry on nanotechnology projects under the supervision of faculty members. Each discovery grant shall be matched with a direct or in-kind industry grant in the same amount;

(B) Collaborative grants, not to exceed one hundred fifty thousand dollars, to support university research teams working with industry on collaborative research projects focused on specific application development. Each collaborative grant shall be matched with an industry grant in the same amount;

(C) Prototype grants, not to exceed two hundred fifty thousand dollars, to enable universities and companies to demonstrate whether a prototype is manufacturable and functional and the cost effectiveness of nanotechnology-related applications. Each prototype grant shall be matched with an industry grant in an amount equal to two dollars for every one dollar of such prototype grant.

(c) The Department of Economic and Community Development shall, within available appropriations, establish a grant program to provide funding for the promotion of collaborative research applications between industry and institutions of higher education. Grants pursuant to this subsection shall be awarded to institutions of higher education, technology-focused organizations and business entities and may be used:

(1) To improve technology infrastructure by advancing the development of shared use between institutions of higher education and business entities of laboratories and equipment, including, but not limited to, technology purchase, lease and installation, operating and necessary support personnel and maintenance;

(2) As matching grants for joint projects between an industry, a technology-focused organization or a university. The Department of Economic and Community Development shall structure the matching grants to provide two rounds of funding annually and shall do outreach to companies. The matching grant part of the program shall include, but not be limited to, (A) one-to-one matching grants not to exceed one hundred thousand dollars, with in-kind match allowed for small and mid-sized companies, (B) involvement of a competitive process with outside reviewers using as key criteria (i) the demonstration of commercial relevance, and (ii) a clear path to the marketplace for any innovations developed in the course of the research, and (C) an aggressive marketing campaign through business organizations to raise industry awareness of resources from universities or technology-focused organizations; and

(3) To develop a Connecticut Center for Nanoscale Sciences and Development to provide a shared-use laboratory in one or more sites in the state to advance university research, industry application development and education involving the synthesis, characterization and fabrication of nanoscale materials, intermediates and devices and related program activities. The Department of Economic and Community Development shall conduct a feasibility study and business planning model leading to the establishment of such center, including strategies for securing investments from the federal government and private entities. On or before January 1, 2007, said department shall submit the results of such study, in accordance with the provisions of § 11-4a, to the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to commerce and higher education and employment advancement.

(d) The Department of Economic and Community Development shall, within available appropriations, establish a grant program to provide funding for the promotion of commercialization of research done by institutions of higher education. Grants pursuant to this subsection shall be awarded to institutions of higher education and business entities and may be used:

(1) To provide funding to verify the technical and commercial feasibility of early stage discoveries by institutions of higher education that are disclosed or patented to accelerate and increase the likelihood that the technology will be successfully commercialized;

(2) To provide matching support for smaller institutions of higher education to allow for contracts with independent technology transfer organizations to provide specific service to support specific needs; and

(3) To provide specialized technical assistance to advance nanotechnology awards to Connecticut companies, including nanotechnology-related workshops and seminars, grant preparation assistance, marketing assistance, services related to matching grants and other technical assistance to assist companies with nanotechnology-related applications.