April 27, 2005 — A five-year effort by the Rushford, Minn., community to develop a rural base of nanotechnology development moved closer to reality as the Minnesota Legislature included $600,000 in the current bonding bill which was signed by Gov. Tim Pawlenty earlier this month.

The seed money, along with future funding efforts, is slated for development of a research and development laboratory in Rushford that encourages scientists and entrepreneurs to create products and processes at the nano level.

The business plan of the Rushford Institute for Nanotechnology (RINTek) calls for the acquiring and equipping of a facility for research and ongoing fund development from state, federal and private sources.

The premise of the project is that nanotechnology can be developed anywhere and it can bring high-quality jobs to rural areas. A bill in Congress seeks additional funding for the effort.