The Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce joined a coalition of 44 cities Thursday that will advocate for greater federal spending in research, according to releases from the Madison and Boston Chambers of Commerce.
"The loss of those research dollars through budget cuts, appropriations, the sequester, all place economic strain and stifle economic growth in places like Madison," said Zach Brandon, president of the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce. "The idea is strength in numbers."
Federal funding flows into Madison’s economy in large part through University of Wisconsin-Madison research programs. In 2012-'13, the university received $610 million in federal research awards, according to the UW-Madison’s data digest.
He added that federal money also contributes to business start-ups.
“There are federal dollars that allow early-stage companies, that allow entrepreneurs to get that first start, to start to gain traction and momentum,” Brandon said. “And if we take those away, then we’re going to unnecessarily stifle our economy.”
