The US Department of Commerce reports…

The Biden-Harris administration, through the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA), today launched the Regional Technology and Innovation Hubs (Tech Hubs) competition. This program will create tech hubs in regions across the country by bringing together industry, higher education institutions, state and local governments, economic development organizations, and labor and workforce partners to supercharge ecosystems of innovation for technologies that are essential to our economic and national security. The program was authorized by the CHIPS and Science Act and is a key part of President Joe Biden’s Investing in America agenda, stimulating private sector investment, creating good-paying jobs, revitalizing American manufacturing, and ensuring no community is left behind by America’s economic progress.

This first Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) the Department is launching today will open applications for planning grants and Tech Hubs Designations. Later this year, the Department of Commerce will launch a second NOFO, for applicants designated as a Tech Hub to apply for implementation funding.

Here’s the gist of what they want to do…

The Tech Hubs Program is intended to advance the capacities of places to manufacture, commercialize, and deploy these technologies. Key priorities that guide the program include:

• Expanding Regional Economic Opportunity and Democratizing Technology Innovation: Tech Hubs seeks to make more U.S. regions strong competitors in the global innovation economy. Through strategic collaborations among regional partners, a geographically diverse network of Tech Hubs will allow more communities and more people to benefit from the opportunities tomorrow’s industries will create. Tech Hubs’ focus on regional consortia underscores EDA’s belief that collaborative, place-based solutions are the most successful means of accelerating growth and strengthening competitiveness.

  The various types of eligible entities and requirements for forming a Tech Hubs application consortium are outlined at TechHubs.gov.

• Driving Economic Opportunity and Inclusive Economic Growth: The Tech Hubs program is committed to building strong communities that share in the prosperity technological innovations bring. The Commerce Department will look at how proposed Tech Hubs will ensure equitable access to good jobs for workers and increase opportunities for diverse business owners. Applicants are also expected to design their projects to minimize the potential for adverse impacts on the environment and the local community, including communities with environmental justice concerns.
• Building a Skilled, Diverse Workforce and Supply Chain: Recruiting, training, and retaining a skilled and diverse workforce is critical to strengthening U.S. technological competitiveness. Tech Hubs aims to spur the creation of new jobs and support opportunities for workers at all skill levels, working with labor unions and state and local workforce development organizations. Tech Hubs consortia will focus on holistic approaches to upskilling and training workers in the fields and industries of tomorrow, while strengthening supply chains to keep our stores, warehouses, and companies stocked with more American-made goods.

Read more about Tech Hubs and the first funding opportunity at TechHubs.gov