Stories of Technology, Innovation, & Entrepreneurship in the Southeast

The State Science and Technology Institute (SSTI) has reviewed the budget that President Joe Biden submitted to Congress last week and highlighted several increases that should be welcome news to those in the affected areas.

• Economic Development Administration’s “Build to Scale” would receive $51 million, an increase of $13 million from FY 2021.
• Three U.S. Small Business Administration programs – FAST (Federal and State Technology) program, Regional Innovation Clusters, and Growth Accelerators – would receive $30 million, an increase of $18 million.
• The Manufacturing Extension Partnership would receive $275 million, an increase of $118 million.
• The National Science Foundation’s Technology, Innovation and Partnerships Directorate would receive $880 million (with $200 million for Regional Innovation Engines, a rebrand for the Regional Innovation Accelerators referenced in the FY 2022 budget.
• Finally, the budget includes R&D funding increases of 20 percent or more for ARPA-E, National Institute of Standards and Technology, the U.S. Department of Energy’s renewable energy program, and the U.S. Geological Survey.

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