Univ. of Nebraska regents OK request to ask Legislature for more in appropriations over 2 years

LINCOLN — A new IT research institute headquartered at the University of Nebraska at Omaha could get a $1.4 million boost from tax dollars.

The NU Board of Regents on Friday voted 5-0 to approve its two-year request to the Legislature. The proposal will ask the Legislature for about 4 percent more in state appropriations each year in the next two years.

Under the university’s request, the IT institute would be housed in a First Data building near UNO’s south campus, now officially the Scott Campus. The NU Foundation in March bought the property at 6902 Pine St. for $30 million.

NU is requesting $900,000 to renovate the First Data building and $500,000 for the applied information technology research institute that would, according to the university, “solve challenging and emerging information technology problems for industry and government.”

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