Boosting Manufacturing and American Innovation: Biden Administration Announces 31 Regional Tech Hubs

In an effort to boost investment in clean energy, biotech, semiconductors, and technology across the nation, the Biden Administration, through the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA), announced this week the designation of 31 Tech Hubs in regions across the country. The EDA also awarded 29 Strategy Development Grants (SDG) to help communities significantly increase local coordination and planning activities.

The designation is the first phase of the Tech Hubs Program, enacted as part of the Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) and Science Act of 2022, aimed at improving America's semiconductor capacity; promoting domestic research and development; creating regional tech hubs; and supporting a highly skilled and inclusive STEM workforce.

The Tech Hubs program invests directly in “burgeoning, high-potential U.S. regions and aims to transform them into globally competitive innovation centers,” EDA reports. Tech Hub awardees were selected from more than 370 applications spanning 49 states and 4 territories. The 31 Tech Hubs will focus on developing and growing innovative industries in regions across the country, and will target goal areas, specifically to:

• enable safe and effective autonomous systems;
• maintain a quantum edge;
• advance biotechnology in drugs and medical devices;
• advance biotechnology precision and prediction;
• accelerate America’s clean energy transition;
• strengthen our critical minerals supply chain;
• regain leadership in semiconductor manufacturing;
• grow the future of materials manufacturing; and
• support Tech Hubs through an all-of-government strategy.

The initiative will bring together private industry, state and local governments, institutions of higher education, labor unions, Tribal communities, and nonprofit organizations that will compete for up to $75 million implementation grants to further develop these fields and make transformative investments in innovation, supply chain resilience, and job creation.

To support the manufacturing industry with technological advances, earlier this month, the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) announced that it has named its incoming board of trustees for the nonprofit entity that will operate the National Semiconductor Technology Center (NSTC). The NSTC is the core research and development (R&D) component of the CHIPS for America program.

Access more information about the Tech Hubs via EDA’s announcement or the White House statement.

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