Alan Kunkel, associate vice president for economic development and director of the Jordan Valley Innovation Center (JVIC) at Missouri State University, told the Emerging Issues Committee that JVIC has supported semiconductor and advanced manufacturing in Missouri through facility space, technical staff and state investment programs.

Kunkel said JVIC operates about 120,000 square feet of facilities, leases space to private companies, and hosts shared equipment and lab services; he described a 20‑year history of partnering with industry to create high‑wage jobs and provide student experiential learning. JVIC is also one of three U.S. NextFlex nodes focused on flexible hybrid electronics and advanced packaging.

Kunkel described two rounds of state investments JVIC administered. In fiscal year 2023 JVIC received $5.4 million from the state, used $5.2 million to invest in seven Missouri companies at roughly $750,000 each for equipment and capacity expansion, and reported that those investments leveraged about $19 million in additional company investment and led to nearly a dozen patent applications and six commercial products. He said one project helped MEMC (later leveraged into a CHIPS application by its parent company GlobalWafers) and that initial investments supported later federal funding applications.

JVIC received another $5.4 million in FY25 and awarded larger $1,000,000 investments to four Missouri companies in the most recent round, Kunkel said. The investments aim to expand equipment and production capability in the state; Kunkel said one award supports a company establishing a new presence in Springfield.

Kunkel told the committee JVIC supports Department of Defense work, including Air Force and Army projects, and that the center’s investments have resulted in new products, patents and private capital attraction. The presentation was informational and included no committee votes or directives.