ORONO – An arm of the University of Maine is working on a 10-year push to grow marine jobs in the state.

The Alliance for Maine’s Marine Economy is working on the effort, which it says will cost more than $16 million and will target new investments that can be useful for marine businesses in Maine.

The university says it will fund the project with a combination including university money, private funds and state bond funds. A spokesman for the Maine Department of Marine Resources says $7 million in state bond money from a 2014 referendum has been awarded to the project.

UMaine’s proposal for the project says the effort will grow the marine economy through a “network of marine research, industry and community development organizations” in partnership with private businesses.

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