The Iowa Governor’s STEM Advisory Council announced this morning it has designated $150,000 of its state legislative funding to support the establishment of six additional learning partnerships, one in each of the state’s six Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) regions. The funds will be used to establish either a STEM BEST (Businesses Engaging Students and Teachers) or STEM RLE (Redesigned Learning Environment) model in each region. Last year, five STEM BEST awards were made that are currently in development, while four STEM RLE models were launched in 2014. School-business partners across Iowa are invited to submit their proposals to establish either a STEM BEST or STEM RLE online through Sept. 1. All Iowa private and public school districts and buildings serving students in any of grades K-12 are eligible to apply. All six funded applicants will be awarded $25,000 to be matched with local cost-share and will be designated as innovative partners of the STEM Council. Recipients will be announced in November.