At least two “Tech Hubs” winners have ties to Tennessee
One is at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, the other at Michigan State University.
As noted in an article last week, no proposal from Tennessee made the cut when the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) announced the initial winners in its “Tech Hubs” program.
Thirty-one applicants won outright designation as a “Tech Hub,” while 29 received Strategy Development Grants (SDG) to help their communities significantly increase local coordination and planning activities.
There were, however, some winners among the total 60 with ties to the Volunteer State.
- The Integrated Bioprocessing Research Laboratory (IBRL) at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UI) was one of the 31 proposals winning a “Tech Hubs” designation for its proposal titled the Illinois Fermentation and Agriculture Biomanufacturing Hub (iFAB). The Principal Investigator is Beth Conerty, Associate Director of Business Development at IBRL. A former Bredesen Center Fellow, she also served as an Intern and later Program Lead for Entrepreneurial Support and Development at Oak Ridge National Laboratory before joining UI at the end of 2017. (Click here to learn more.)
- The Michigan State University (MSU) Research Foundation, whose Executive Director is David Washburn, was one of the 29 receiving SDG funding. He served as President and Chief Executive Officer of the University of Tennessee Research Foundation until early 2014. The MSU Research Foundation’s proposal, titled Materials Advancement and Research Solutions (MARS) Strategy Development Consortium, focuses on transforming the region’s economy based on expertise and competitive advantages in advanced materials science, specifically the manufacturing of specialized synthetic diamonds and rare isotopes. (Click here to learn more.)
Like what you've read?
Forward to a friend!