The Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration (EDA) officially revealed the selection of 31 tech consortiums across 32 states and Puerto Rico Monday.
“The Tech Hubs Program is fundamental to supercharge innovation across the nation by spurring cutting-edge technological investments and creating 21st-century job opportunities in people’s backyards,” U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo said in a press release. “Each of these consortia will help us ensure the industries of the future — and their good-paying jobs — start, grow and remain in the United States.”
The selection process for the tech hub designation was highly competitive, as the EDA reviewed nearly 400 applications from regional tech consortiums that included economic development organizations, state and local government entities, and workforce development agencies. To be selected, each applicant presented detailed strategic plans specifying how they planned to enhance their region's capabilities in manufacturing, commercializing and deploying critical technologies if accepted.
The selected organizations represent a diverse array of tech disciplines, including autonomous systems, quantum computing, biotechnology, precision medicine, clean energy innovation and semiconductor manufacturing.
U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development Alejandra Y. Castillo said these Tech Hubs designees "exemplify place-based economic development strategies at their best: combining federal resources with regional assets, expertise and coalitions to implement transformational opportunities."
Beginning this week, the EDA also introduced the opportunity for the designated tech hubs to apply for funding, which can range from $40 million to $70 million each. The agency is also awarding 29 Strategy Development Grants (SDG) to assist communities in elevating local coordination and planning activities for future innovation projects in their respective states.
The Tech Hubs designees are:
- Headwaters Hub
- Ocean Tech Hub
- Trustworthy and Equitable Autonomous Systems Tech Hub
- Elevate Quantum Colorado
- The Bloch Tech Hub
- Advanced Pharma Manufacturing Tech Hub
- ReGen Valley Tech Hub
- iFab Tech Hub
- Kansas City Inclusive Biologics and Biomanufacturing Tech Hub
- Heartland BioWorks
- PRBio Tech Hub
- Wisconsin Biohealth Tech Hub
- Baltimore Tech Hub
- Birmingham Biotechnology Hub
- Greater Philadelphia Region Precision Medicine Tech Hub
- Minnesota MedTech 3.0
- Gulf Louisiana Offshore Wind Propeller
- Intermountain-West Nuclear Energy Tech Hub
- SC Nexus for Advanced Resilient Energy
- South Florida Climate Resilience Tech Hub
- New Energy New York (NENY) Battery Tech Hub
- Critical Minerals and Materials for Advanced Energy (CM2AE) Tech Hub
- Nevada Lithium Batteries and Other EV Material Loop
- Texoma Semiconductor Innovation Consortium
- Corvallis Microfluidics Tech Hub
- Advancing GaN Tech Hub
- NY SMART I-Corridor Tech Hub
- Sustainable Polymers Tech Hub
- Forest Bioproducts Advanced Manufacturing Tech Hub
- American Aerospace Materials Manufacturing Tech Hub
- Pacific Northwest Mass Timber Tech Hub
