Gov. Linda Lingle said yesterday she wants to work with Democrats who control the state Legislature to help transform Hawai'i's economy away from land development and toward innovation.

The Republican governor signed three bills to promote innovation — a theme of her State of the State speech in January — and said she had reassessed what were initially disappointing reviews of the last session.

Several Republicans have described the session as a failure, but Lingle said, at least on innovation, it was positive.

"Cumulatively, I think we did quite well this session. All of us, working together," Lingle said at a news conference at the state Capitol.

Lingle said many of the ideas in her innovation package were similar to what state lawmakers or the private sector had proposed in the past. But she believes the administration pulled them together and raised public awareness about the importance of transforming the economy.

"We all agree land development cannot remain the foundation of our economy over time," Lingle said. "It simply can't, because we'll lose the Hawai'i that we love if we don't make this transformation."

The innovation package included incentives for science, technology, engineering and math education along with investments in high-tech ventures.

"I think we're all together," said state House Vice Speaker Jon Riki Karamatsu, D-41st (Waipahu, Village Park, Waikele). "For us, creativity was the most important thing. That's why our focus was on science, digital media and intellectual-property type of initiatives."

The bills signed yesterday provide $400,000 over two years to lease space in Kaka'ako for a life sciences incubator and innovation center, $500,000 to revive and rename an Office of Aerospace Development, and $400,000 to hire two economists to track the state's progress on innovation.

Reach Derrick DePledge at ddepledge@honoluluadvertiser.com.