Boise State’s TechHelp seeks $5,000 and partial FTP support to stabilize Studio Blue director position; director provides performance metrics

Brad McDonald, executive director of TechHelp at Boise State University, told the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee that TechHelp’s Studio Blue center (new product development and workforce training arm) is maturing and previously depended on a federal grant that expired in September of the prior year. To sustain the Studio Blue director role, TechHelp requested a $5,000 FY2026 personnel augmentation in the state appropriation to help retain the center director while the program matures and seeks diversified revenue.

McDonald said TechHelp measures performance through the national Manufacturing Extension Partnership impact metrics, which include retained and new jobs, sales and cost savings for client companies, number of clients served, investment dollars leveraged, and a net promoter score. He said TechHelp’s quarterly reports show strong recent performance and that an independent third party conducts participant surveys. McDonald noted TechHelp collaborates statewide with Idaho State University, the University of Idaho and the Idaho Manufacturing Alliance.

Committee members asked why the request was small and why the board could not convert an existing vacant FTP into the permanent position. McDonald said the director post was previously partially grant-funded and that grants declined, so the $5,000 request reflects what TechHelp could request under current budget constraints and the Ladder of funding available. He described Studio Blue’s three pillars—design, create, launch—and emphasized student workforce experience and measurable client impacts.

Ending: Committee members asked TechHelp to submit impact metrics and quarterly reports demonstrating jobs retained and sales growth attributable to TechHelp services. TechHelp agreed to provide the data and explained the request is designed to stabilize a position until predictable funding can be secured.