The Economic Development Administration is investing $504 million in its Tech Hubs Program, which was created last year to scale up the U.S. technology industry.
The EDA is distributing funds to 12 regional technology hubs throughout the country that will invest in focus areas that include semiconductors, clean energy, electric vehicle materials and climate-resilient infrastructure.
The Department of Commerce in October designated 31 regions — including rural, tribal, industrial and disadvantaged communities — as tech hubs that now serve as epicenters for innovation, manufacturing and job creation under the program.
The 31 centers were chosen from 400 applicants that included industry experts, academia, government officials, economic development organizations, and labor and workforce partners. Each applicant outlined comprehensive plans for enhancing their region’s ability to manufacture, commercialize and deploy critical technologies.
Award amounts to each hub are estimates, the EDA said. Award amounts have not yet been finalized.
This round’s grant recipients include:
$51 million to the iFab Tech Hub in Illinois, which is anchored by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The hub will focus on precision fermentation and biomanufacturing.
$51 million to the Sustainable Polymers Tech Hub in Ohio, which is anchored by the Greater Akron Chamber.
$51 million to the Tulsa Hub for Equitable & Trustworthy Autonomy in Oklahoma to focus on secure autonomous systems. The hub is anchored by Tulsa Innovation Labs.
$51 million to the Heartland BioWorks Tech Hub in Indiana, anchored by the Applied Research Institute. The hub will focus on biomanufacturing.
$49 million to Wisconsin Biohealth Tech Hub to focus on personalized medicine. The hub is led by BioForward Wisconsin.
$45 million to the SC Nexus for Advanced Resilient Energy in South Carolina and Georgia, led by the South Carolina Department of Commerce. The hub will focus on the clean energy supply chain.
$44 million to the ReGen Valley Tech Hub in New Hampshire to focus on biofabrication. The hub is led by the Advanced Regenerative Manufacturing Institute.
$41 million to the Elevate Quantum Tech Hub in Colorado and New Mexico to focus on quantum information technology.
$41 million to the Headwaters Hub, anchored by Accelerate Montana, which will focus on smart photonic sensor systems.
$40 million to the NY Smart I-Corridor Tech Hub in New York to focus on semiconductor manufacturing. The hub is led by the CenterState Corporation for Economic Opportunity.
$21 million to Nevada Tech Hub to focus on lithium batteries and electric vehicle materials. The hub is led by the University of Nevada, Reno.
$19 million to South Florida ClimateReady Tech Hub to focus on sustainable and climate-resilient infrastructure. The agency is led by the Miami Dade County Innovation and Economic Development Office.
Photo by Desola Lanre-Ologun on Unsplash
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