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TechHelp asks for small staffing increase as Studio Blue matures and grant funding declines
Summary
Boise State’s TechHelp described work with small and medium manufacturers statewide, the Studio Blue new‑product development unit and a small FY2026 personnel request tied to an expiring federal grant and growing demand for workforce‑focused services.
Brad McDonald, executive director of TechHelp at Boise State University, told the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee that TechHelp provides engineering, prototyping, testing and product-development assistance to Idaho small and medium manufacturers and that Studio Blue is the unit focused on new‑product development and student workforce experiences.
TechHelp’s base appropriation is modest and personnel-driven; analysts reported a 100% personnel-spending profile for the unit’s appropriation and authorized FTP of 3.44. Studio Blue has been partially funded by federal grants that expired in September of the prior year; department and TechHelp staff said they are attempting to transition some of that work to more stable funding sources as grants decline.
TechHelp requested $5,000 in FY2026 to partially fund the Studio Blue director position and described the unit as a workforce arm in which students can receive substantial practical hours: McDonald noted students “will have up to 2,000 hours of experience” in some Studio Blue projects. He said the unit measures success using standardized impact metrics from the national Manufacturing Extension Partnership network: new and retained jobs, sales and investments attributable to projects, client counts and net‑promoter metrics. McDonald said TechHelp’s impact metrics place it near the top of comparable programs in recent quarters.
Committee members asked for specifics on impact metrics and for written reports; McDonald and TechHelp staff agreed to provide quarterly impact data and survey results. Representatives also questioned staffing and funding: McDonald said the Studio Blue director has been partially grant-funded and that the FY2026 request aims to stabilize the role as federal grant support declines.
Why it matters: TechHelp supports manufacturing competitiveness and workforce development across Idaho. The committee indicated interest in outcome metrics tying TechHelp work to job retention, sales and other measurable results before considering recurring state funding increases.
No formal vote was recorded on TechHelp requests at this hearing; the presentation was informational and part of the budget review process.
