GOV. BLAGOJEVICH ANNOUNCES $500,000 IN FUNDING TO SUPPORT MAJOR ADVANCEMENTS IN INFORMATION TRUST AND SECURITY

"The advancements being made at the Information Trust Institute are as practical as they are visionary. Everyone knows that if our roads and highways are not safe and reliable, business and commerce will suffer. But the security and reliability of the vast collection of computer systems and networks we use each day are just as critical to promoting a healthy and vibrant economy. By investing in this initiative, we're fueling the development of technology that has the capacity to provide our businesses, governments and citizens with the piece of mind needed to remain innovative in the marketplace and the tools needed to pursue new levels of growth and productivity," Gov. Blagojevich said.

Founded by a small group of University of Illinois professors in early 2004, the goal of ITI is to design better ways of organizing software/hardware networks so that a computer, or a network of computers, is capable of managing internal flaws while continuing to do its job. The development of a secure and reliable computer system infrastructure is critical to promoting the free movement of transactions, ideas, communications and discovery. While there are a number of research centers across the nation that deal with cyber security alone, ITI is one of the first to tackle the issue of trust and security in a holistic, system-driven manner.

"We want to thank Gov. Blagojevich for all of his support. ITI is a unique university-industry partnership, involving both local and national firms, to create fundamental advances in information trust and security that can be quickly transitioned into products, services and jobs," said ITI Director Prof. William H. Sanders.

The real-world applications and practical benefits of this technology are virtually all encompassing. From homeland security to telecommunications, from commercial flights to financial markets, and from the boardroom, to the classroom, to our living rooms, ITI is working to develop fundamental solutions to some of our society's most formidable security challenges.

One concentration of the ITI team's efforts that is of special importance to the entire nation is that of homeland security. Whether it be the need to provide no-fly lists to airlines all over the world, or ensuring the safety of our food supply, information systems are crucial to our ability to secure the homeland. ITI will be working to ensure that critical information is secure and cannot be compromised by would-be attackers.

Gov. Blagojevich's Opportunity Returns strategy for the East Central region consists of five primary goals to address its economic and workforce development needs: supporting business attraction and development, promoting entrepreneurship and innovation, strengthening education and job training, supporting infrastructure and public transportation, and investing in agriculture, renewable energy and the environment. The East Central region includes Champaign, Douglas, Ford, Iroquois, Piatt and Vermilion counties.

"Opportunity Returns represents neither a collection of big promises nor a package of one-time awards, but instead a strategy to invest in the people and the potential of this region and deliver services on a local level. Though we're formally unveiling it today, that strategy has been at work day in and day out over the last year and a half, building on the strengths of this region and promoting its competitive advantages. Through a continual dialogue with the region's stakeholders, we're forming fruitful partnerships with the area's academic, business and government leadership that enhances the value of every dollar we invest in these communities, catalyzes more vigorous economic growth and creates more genuine opportunity for the hardworking people of the East Central region," Gov. Blagojevich said.

"The University of Illinois has been at the forefront of the information technology revolution, and I am pleased that Gov. Blagojevich is supporting strategic investments that will help us to create good jobs both in that sector and in other areas crucial to this region's economic growth," State Rep. Naomi Jakobsson (D-Champaign) said.

The Governor announced several major initiatives and grants to create jobs and spur economic development in the East Central region, including:

development activity, and providing entrepreneurs with the expertise, networks and tools they need to make their ventures successful. Gov. Blagojevich announced the opening of the Illini Entrepreneurship Center in July of 2003 and continues to provide the center with vital funding.

Gov. Blagojevich's Opportunity Returns regional economic development strategy is the most aggressive, comprehensive approach to creating jobs in Illinois' history. Since a one-size-fits-all approach to economic development just doesn't work, the Governor has divided the state into 10 regions - each with a regional team that is empowered and expected to rapidly respond to opportunities and challenges. Opportunity Returns is about tangible, specific actions to make each region more accessible, more marketable, more entrepreneurial and more attractive to businesses. It is about upgrading the skills of the local workforce, increasing the access to capital, opening new markets, improving infrastructure, and creating and retaining jobs. Opportunity Returns is about successfully partnering with companies and communities, both large and small, to help all of Illinois reach its economic potential.