New bill proposes three new science institutes be established through state and private funding.
To ensure California's place among the giants of the new millennium, Gov. Gray Davis is sponsoring legislation to bring three new institutes of science and innovation to the UC system. The bill, known as AB 1943, authorizes the University of California Board of Regents to create the new institutes through a competitive application process. The institutes may concentrate on a wide range of focused research in areas such as bioengineering, energy resources, space and agricultural technology. Villaraigosa stated that the state money invested into the University of California is critical to California's technological advancement and economic prosperity. The decision of which three UC campuses will receive funding to build the institutes has not yet been determined.