1. Promote and implement Louisiana Vision 2020 technology cluster economic development plan by accelerating technology transfer and workforce development among CERT higher education institutions and technology cluster industries. Focus will initially center on Life Sciences and Information Technology (IT) clusters then expand to other clusters as demand necessitates. (Note: For the purposes of NLPI, “Life Sciences” includes biomedical, biotechnology and pharmaceutical fields.)
    
2. Build upon existing regional medical and information technology strengths to create a sustainable environment for a growing regional biomedical informatics industry. The resulting biomedical informatics model will be used as a prototype for NLPI’s work in other state technology clusters.
    
3. Broaden participation of NLPI partners in technology transfer and workforce development activities by creating a sustainable infrastructure and environment that encourages innovation.

NLPI has three action components to address these goals and create the infrastructure that enables technology growth.

1. Stimulate technology transfer and workforce development by matching higher education research outcomes to the needs of business and industry through implementation of the Science and Technology Action Response and Stimulus Teams (STARS) at CERT institutions. These teams will proactively identify and seek solutions to industry technology and workforce needs by utilizing the communication and technical resources of NLPI partners.
    
2. Create web-based vehicles to support NLPI that:
    
   1. Match expertise, facilities, equipment and training available at CERT institutions to needs of business and industry through implementation of the Technology Resources Database; and
       
   2. Enhance and increase interactions among and between business, industry, and CERT institutions through development and implementation of an Interactive Website.
       
3. Provide incentives to NLPI CERT members to assist in implementing NLPI goals through mini-grants that:
    
   3. match campus funding toward patent application costs;
       
   4. fund the creation of business plans by graduate students for start-up companies
       
   5. provide partial funding for technicians in new industry-inspired IT training programs
       
   6. provide funding to involve students at CERT institutions in developing enhancements to NLPI web-based resources.