Technology center gets $1 million

Bear Paw Development Corp. has obtained a $1 million grant to help Montana State University-Northern construct an Applied Technology Center.

The grant is from the U.S. Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration and will compliment a $2 million commitment made by the 2001 Montana Legislature to construct the facility.

"The significant investment by the EDA in MSU-Northern shows the unmistakable link between building a better economy and the role of higher education in accomplishing that goal," Bear Paw Development's executive director Paul Tuss said in a press release today.

The technology center will give the private sector an opportunity to partner with MSU-N for university-level research and development. It will also serve as a location where technology-based start-up companies can take advantage of the facility's high-tech infrastructure to expand their business, the press release said.