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TechHelp seeks small additional state support for Studio Blue director as program matures
Summary
Boise State’s TechHelp described statewide manufacturing support and Studio Blue (its new-product-development arm) and requested a small FY2026 personnel increment to sustain a Studio Blue director role as grant funding declined.
Brad McDonald, executive director of TechHelp at Boise State University, told the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee TechHelp serves small and medium manufacturers statewide through design, prototyping, testing, manufacturing and market services, and is part of a national manufacturing extension network.
McDonald described Studio Blue as TechHelp’s new-product-development unit that provides student workforce training and client projects in three pillars—design, create and launch. He said Studio Blue previously relied on grant-funded support established during COVID-era funding cycles and that those grants have declined.
The TechHelp budget request included a modest FY2026 increase (about $5,000, shown in materials as 0.03 FTP) to help sustain the Studio Blue director position as grant funding wanes. McDonald said TechHelp measures impact using standardized metrics from the national network—new and retained jobs, sales and investments, client counts, cost savings, gross revenue from projects and net promoter scores—and that the program reports quarterly impact metrics tied to retained/new jobs and company revenue.
Committee members asked for the detailed impact metrics and quarterly reports; McDonald agreed to provide them. Members also asked about how the director position was currently funded and whether the requested state increment would make the position full-time and predictable; McDonald said the long-term goal is a predictably funded full-time role to expand workforce training and client projects.
No vote was taken on the request; committee staff asked TechHelp to provide its impact metrics and quarterly reports for review.
