The State Controlling Board today approved the transfer of $8.1 million from the Third Frontier Project for the Ohio High Speed Research Network project in Columbus.

According to documents from the Office of Budget and Management, the Ohio High Speed Research Network will create a high-tech research environment by creating a 100 gigabit-per-second corridor through the heart of Ohio. This corridor would provide JobsOhio—the lean, economic development entity that was established through House Bill 1—the tool it needs to entice and retain businesses to Ohio.

“The Ohio High Speed Research Network project is aimed at creating jobs and retaining jobs for Ohio,” said State Representative Anne Gonzales (R-Westerville). “It is vital to Ohio’s growth to invest in higher-education to train and develop a high-tech workforce.”

Higher education research uses leading-edge technology to create new business opportunities and jobs for the state. Ohio’s medical corridor would provide the Cleveland Clinic, Ohio State University Medical Center, University of Cincinnati Medical Center, and Children’s Hospitals with unlimited capacity to transmit vital research, imaging and health information.

With the implementation of the state-of-the-art 100 gigabit-per-second research, education and innovation network, designed to support the next generation of business applications, Ohio will:

• Retain existing employers such as NASA, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Battelle, Procter & Gamble, Cleveland Clinic, and Children’s Hospitals by enabling their ability to leverage the research network;

• Attract new employers with access to the research network and its stakeholders, including 90 four-year and two-year colleges and universities and local and state governments;

• Attract researchers and research funding

Ohio’s High Speed Research Network will establish Ohio as a technology leader by building a new research broadband along the Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati and Dayton corridor. Researchers need access to this platform today to build the new business applications that will drive future development.