Document Type
Report
Publication Date
10-29-2026
Publisher
The Lincy Institute
First page number:
1
Last page number:
23
Abstract
This policy brief examines the nascent Nevada innovation economy and the funding capacity of the federal government. The analysis highlights how federal innovation programs have stimulated research, commercialization, and long-term economic development in Nevada. Using a multi-level framework encompassing technological, industrial, and spatial innovation, this policy brief documents how federal research funding, augmented by state programs and university infrastructure, has contributed to the formation of new research capabilities, seeded industry clusters and startups, and expanded workforce capacity. The findings suggest that federal resources have been productively deployed to date, generating significant scientific, economic, and social returns, but that more must be done to support the future of Nevada’s innovation economy. The authors note that continued federal support, augmented by targeted state support, is essential to Nevada’s innovation capacity, particularly as global competition intensifies and federal funding cuts that began in 2025 threaten the state’s research and commercialization capacity.
Keywords
Research; Grants; Investment; Startup; Workforce; Government
Disciplines
Business Analytics | Economic Policy | Economics | Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations | Finance and Financial Management | Infrastructure | Public Policy | Technology and Innovation
File Format
File Size
770 KB
Language
English
Repository Citation
Jessup, L.,
Curry, S.
(2026).
The Nevada Innovation Economy and Federal Funding.
1-23.
Available at:
https://oasis.library.unlv.edu/lincy_policybriefs_reports/24
Included in
Business Analytics Commons, Economic Policy Commons, Economics Commons, Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations Commons, Finance and Financial Management Commons, Infrastructure Commons, Public Policy Commons, Technology and Innovation Commons