Jenna Crowe
Staff Writer
The Research and Innovation in Science and Engineering Complex was a major investment for Idaho State University. When cuts were needed, however, the RISE was severely damaged.
According to the 2015 Annual Report published by ISU, the RISE Complex opened in late 2011 in the former Ballard Medical Building in Pocatello, Idaho. Last year, the RISE was at least 90 percent occupied and employed around 75 people.
In an interview for the report, Eric Burgett, director of the RISE Complex, said “[we] had to put offices in our break rooms because we’ve run out of places for people to sit.”
At the end of September, 2015, the RISE had received over $19 million in total outside funding, according to the RISE university business officer Lynn Roberts when interviewed for the 2015 report.
The outside funding was composed of 15 federal grants totaling over $14 million, five business grants that add up to almost $3.5 million and a collection of smaller outside university and state grants.
Burgett describes the RISE in this report as an applied research and development facility.
As such, workers at the RISE focus more on technology that can directly affect people and the flow of commerce.
Almost a year after the RISE earned over $19 million in outside funding, budget cuts became needed just to keep the RISE afloat.
As of August, 2016, 34 positions have been eliminated due to budget cuts.
Graduate students and Career Path Internship students were able to keep their positions or were relocated to other facilities on campus.
Currently, faculty members at ISU are searching for reassignment possibilities for the other 34 employees.
The Idaho Accelerator Center was unaffected when cuts were made. The IAC and the RISE are similar in the way that they operate with project-based workforce management. This allows both facilities to hire more employees when there are more projects, but it also leads to job loss when projects are completed.
All IAC projects are ongoing, while the RISE is currently finishing up projects with the Department of Defense as well as the Department of Energy.
There are still student learning opportunities available at the RISE, but the number of available positions will fluctuate depending on the amount of projects pursued.
Currently there are two public-private programs and one federal program ongoing at RISE, among others.
“There are ongoing active projects at RISE, and other currently-funded projects will be moved to the RISE Complex,” said Cornelis Van Der Schyf, vice president for research. “The future of research and the RISE Complex are secure and will remain a top priority for Idaho State.”
Burgett was contacted for a personal interview, but declined.
