1. The commissioner shall collaborate with a local association having bioscience experience to develop and administer a bioscience innovation grant program through the bioscience innovation grant fund. The commissioner shall collaborate with the department of commerce when awarding bioscience innovation grants to coordinate the management of the commissioner's bioscience innovation grant program and the department of commerce's biotechnology grant program. 2. The commissioner shall collaborate with the committee established under subsection 5 to adopt rules and criteria necessary to administer the bioscience innovation grant program. The rules must include criteria for program eligibility, including requiring a bioscience business that receives funding through the program match up to fifty percent of the amount of the grant received. 3. The bioscience innovation grant fund is a special fund created in the state treasury. Moneys in the fund are appropriated on a continuing basis to the commissioner to award grants to: a. Support biotechnology innovation and commercialization in areas including crop genetics, biofuels, biomaterials, biosensors, and biotechnology in relation to food, nutrition, animals, humans, equipment, medical and health products and services, medical diagnostics, medical therapeutics, and farm-based pharmaceuticals; b. Promote the creation of bioscience jobs in the state to be filled by graduates from institutions under the control of the state board of higher education; c. Encourage the development of new bioscience technologies and bioscience startup companies in the state; d. Leverage the agriculture industry in the state to support the development of bioscience technologies impacting livestock operations and crop production; e. Promote bioscience research and development at institutions under the control of the state board of higher education; and f. Encourage coordination and collaboration among other entities and programs in the state to promote bioscience innovation goals. 4. A bioscience business operating in the state is eligible to receive a grant under the program if the business: a. Employs at least two employees; b. Has documented annual sales of less than two million five hundred thousand dollars; and c. Is a corporation, partnership, limited liability company, limited partnership, or limited liability partnership registered in the state. 5. The bioscience innovation program shall award grant funding through a committee consisting of: a. One representative from the department of agriculture appointed by the agriculture commissioner; b. One representative from the bioscience association of North Dakota appointed by the board of the bioscience association of North Dakota; and c. One representative from the department of commerce appointed by the commissioner of the department of commerce. 6. Grant funds awarded under this section may not be used for capital improvements, academic programming or curriculum, or workforce training.
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