Conclusion

The IGEM Annual Report 2022, when analyzed in detail, provides irrefutable evidence that the program's activities are 100% focused on academic research and big business interests, with no support whatsoever for small businesses or entrepreneurship of any kind. This is particularly alarming given that IGEM is the only program in Idaho's economic development strategy with an explicit reference to entrepreneurship in its title.

The comprehensive review of funded projects reveals a complete absence of initiatives that foster or support any form of entrepreneurial activities. Instead, the program channels all of its resources into university research and large-scale industry collaborations, entirely neglecting the needs and potential of small enterprises and individual entrepreneurs that form the backbone of Idaho's economy.

This total misalignment between the program's title and its actual focus represents a critical failure in Idaho's approach to economic development. By completely ignoring the state's vast network of small businesses and individual entrepreneurs, IGEM neglects a crucial engine of innovation and economic growth.

Most alarmingly, this analysis reveals that Idaho's economic development strategy is fundamentally unbalanced. Economic experts widely recognize three essential components of economic development: Business Attraction, Business Expansion, and Entrepreneurship. Idaho's strategy, as evidenced by the IGEM program and the broader economic development plan, focuses entirely on the first two while completely neglecting the third. This creates a precarious "two-legged stool" approach to economic development, lacking the stability and dynamism that a strong entrepreneurial ecosystem provides. Such an imbalanced strategy risks the long-term economic resilience and growth potential of the state.