Sixty groups win something in inaugural “Tech Hubs” sweepstakes
Thirty-one earn designation as "Tech Hubs," while 29 secured grants to help them significantly increase local coordination and planning activities.
Sixty lead organizations and their many partners are celebrating in one way or another after yesterday’s announcement of the inaugural winners in a major solicitation by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA). Unfortunately, none of the 60 is Tennessee-based.
EDA conveyed the designation of “Tech Hubs” on 31 regions across the country in the first phase of the new economic development initiative designed to drive regional innovation and job creation by strengthening a region’s capacity to manufacture, commercialize, and deploy technology that will advance American competitiveness. The “Tech Hubs” program invests directly in burgeoning, high-potential U.S. regions and aims to transform them into globally competitive innovation centers.
In addition, the federal agency awarded 29 Strategy Development Grants (SDG) to help communities significantly increase local coordination and planning activities. Such development could make selected grantees more competitive for future “Tech Hubs” funding opportunities.
There were several winners of the “Tech Hubs” designation in neighboring states including:
- Advanced Pharma Manufacturing Tech Hub led by the Commonwealth Center for Advanced Manufacturing in Richmond, VA;
- Birmingham Biotechnology Hub led by the Southern Research Institute;
- Gulf Louisiana Offshore Wind Propeller led by Louisiana State University (LSU); and
- SC Nexus for Advanced Resilient Energy led by the South Carolina Department of Commerce.
As noted in this July 18 article in teknovation.biz, at least five proposals for “Tech Hubs” designation were submitted from five regions of the state and were also endorsed by Launch Tennessee.
Neighboring recipients of SDGs were:
- Carolinas Innovation Center for Optics and Metrology (CICOM) Strategy Development Consortium led by the University of North Carolina, Charlotte;
- Gulf Louisiana Offshore Wind Propeller led by LSU;
- Regional Energy Business, Education, & Commercialization Convergence Accelerator (REBECCA) Energy Strategy Development Consortium led by the University of Louisville Research Foundation;
- Southeast Biotech Collaborative (SEBC) Strategy Development Consortium led by the University of Mississippi and including Tennessee;
- Virginia’s Additive Manufacturing & Applied Materials Strategy Development Consortium led by the New River Valley Regional Commission;
- West Virginia Advanced Energy & Industrial Technology Manufacturing (WV-AEIM) Strategy Development Consortium led by the Allegheny Science & Technology Corporation; Western North Carolina Industrialized Construction (NCIC) Strategy Development Consortium led by ADL Ventures; and WV Tech Strategy Development Consortium led by the West Virginia Department of Economic Development.
Like what you've read?
Forward to a friend!