Senate committee hears bill to create advanced-technology grant program and review committee

Representative Jonathan Warrie, sponsor of House Bill 1448, told the Senate Industry and Business Committee the bill would establish an Advanced Technology Review Committee and a grant fund to help bridge early-stage research into commercial products.

The bill would create a committee made up of state information-technology officials, representatives from higher education and three private-sector appointees, and authorize an Advanced Technology Grant Program and Fund. "14 48 initially started as a, almost like a, lift fund," Warrie said, explaining the measure began as a targeted vehicle for AI-related commercialization and was carried in committee with a $5,000,000 placeholder that the House appropriations panel later removed.

Why it matters: supporters said targeted seed funding and a review body could help North Dakota firms and university projects commercialize work in artificial intelligence, machine learning and quantum computing. Opponents and some senators raised questions about overlap with existing state programs and how to prevent the fund from becoming a general-purpose IT pot.

Director Todd Pringle of the Dakota Digital Academy and investor-partner in the 701 Fund testified in strong support and described the near-term commercial potential of AI. "I stand in strong support of HB 14 48 to establish an advanced technology committee grant program and fund with hopeful 1 time funding of of 5,000,000," Pringle said. He urged the committee to prioritize projects that demonstrate a realistic and convincing economic-development or workforce impact.

Witnesses and senators discussed how the committee should be staffed and whether existing entities—such as university tech-transfer offices or the Energy and Environmental Research Center (EERC)—would better house the work. Pringle said the review panel should be business-savvy rather than purely technical, so members could judge market and commercialization potential. Senators asked whether the Department of Commerce already provides similar services and whether the governor’s office supports creating a new body.

Several testifiers gave examples of business uses: Bryce Warrie, chief executive of PaveWise, described a deployed natural-language interface built for the North Dakota Department of Transportation that allows engineers and contractors to query specification documents. "We actually are running AI, and the North Dakota DOT," Bryce Warrie said, noting the project saved staff time and produced rapid uptake during its pilot.

The bill text says the fund would be administered by the state treasury; grant money may not be used for capital construction or routine operations and must be used to advance commercialization. The committee would be required to give priority to projects that advance AI, machine learning, quantum computing and similar R&D. The bill also requires an independent, post-completion review to measure whether a project resulted in a commercially viable patent or product.

Committee members asked for clarity on governance, how funds would be allocated across venture stages, and what safeguards would limit speculative investments. Senators suggested the appropriations process should set funding levels and that the first iteration could be a time-limited pilot to test outcomes.

The hearing closed without a committee vote; supporters asked the committee to refine eligibility and oversight language and to consider appointing members with investor experience to reduce implementation risk.

The bill hearing included testimony from Representative Jonathan Warrie (District 22), Todd Pringle (Director, Dakota Digital Academy; investor), Bryce Warrie (CEO, PaveWise), Andrea Fenig (Greater North Dakota Chamber), Chancellor Mark Hagarrot (North Dakota University System), and other stakeholders.