Each year in the Kentucky General Assembly, Senate Bill one is set for a priority piece of legislation.

This year, that bill focuses on boosting academic research at Kentucky's colleges.

Senate President Robert Stivers masterminded the bill that he hopes will foster collaboration instead of competition among Kentucky's colleges.

Kentucky Edition's Clayton Dalton has more.

As we begin tonight's legislative update.

You can't catch a fish until you cast something into the water.

I've never seen them jump in my boat.

Although he can't be sure the legislation will catch any fish.

President Stivers believes his bill will bolster health care, education and economic development across the state.

The bill creates an endowment fund that universities can apply to for research money.

The catch the funds must be used in partnership between at least two Kentucky colleges.

These past few years, it seems as if our universities, several which are behind me, tend to be more of competitors than collaborators and cooperators.

The research isn't limited to just the medical field.

It just doesn't have to be medical or biomedical.

I think of Morehead State University and their aerospace program.

We have Eastern, who is one of the few aviation accredited FAA programs for flight school.

Could you see them and Morehead maybe working together on aerospace and aviation and some research project that they would bring?

Stivers says funding clinical research can also spark hope for Kentuckians.

We have funded the marquee cancer center two years ago, and it is bringing hope to people who have cancers that don't have to leave this state to go to an MD Anderson, a Sloan Kettering, a Cleveland Clinic, or a mayo.

Why can we not create the dynamics that other states have done that would not benefit an area but benefit the whole state?

Senator Reggie Thomas, a Democrat from Lexington, voiced his support for the bill.

As a lifelong Kentuckian, it's always been my observation that we talk a lot about being champions in the arena of athletics, and while there's nothing wrong about that, I wish we talk more about being champions in the arena of academics.

That's really what I want for Kentucky and is to be an academic champions.

These are the types of investments I believe we need to make to take us into a 21st century provider of health care, and it will totally change the educational and economic dynamics of this state Senate bill.

One passed unanimously and now heads to the Senate Chamber for Kentucky Edition.

I'm Clayton Dalton.

The Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education.

Under the bill would be responsible for accepting and reviewing applications for the funding.

The council will then identify five research groups and apportion money to each for a five year period.