Watch Now
NewsLocal News

Actions

Wisconsin named tech hub by Biden admin; up to $75 million in funding opens up for state

The federal government on Monday announced 31 tech hubs in the U.S. eligible for up to $500 million to help increase innovation - and Wisconsin is one of those hubs.
Milwaukee
AP Photo
The City of Milwaukee
Milwaukee
Posted
and last updated

MILWAUKEE — The federal government on Monday announced 31 tech hubs in the U.S. eligible for up to $500 million to help increase innovation - and Wisconsin is one of those hubs.

The effort is aimed at adding jobs and giving tech innovation a boost in cities outside traditional tech powerhouse hubs like Silicon Valley.

Wisconsin can now compete for up to $75 million in federal funding to develop its burgeoning high-tech biohealth and personalized medicine industries.

Rockwell Automation and GE HealthCare, both big Milwaukee area employers, were part of Wisconsin's pitch, according to TMJ4 News partners at the Milwaukee Business Journal. So was BioForward Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp., among other organizations.

Wisconsin's pitch for federal funding focused on precision medicine and commercialization in the biohealth industry. That includes bioscience, health care and imaging, diagnostics, and digital health care, according to the Milwaukee Business Journal.

Read the White House's announcement about the funding below:

WASHINGTON, DC — The Biden-Harris administration, through the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA), today announced the designation of 31 Tech Hubs in regions across the country. This is the first phase of the new Tech Hubs program, which is an 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 program invests directly in burgeoning, high-potential U.S. regions and aims to transform them into globally competitive innovation centers.

Tech Hubs was authorized by the bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act, a key part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, which he signed into law in August 2022.

These Tech Hubs are located across 32 states and Puerto Rico, and represent a cross-section of urban and rural regions. Designation is an endorsement of the region’s plans to supercharge their respective technological industries to create jobs, strengthen U.S. competitiveness, and protect national security. The Tech Hubs announced today focus on industries ranging from autonomous systems, quantum computing, biotechnology, precision medicine, clean energy advancement, semiconductor manufacturing, and more, and highlight how the Biden Harris Administration is investing in innovation and economic growth in every region of the United States.

EDA also 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.

“President Biden’s Investing in America agenda is rooted in policies that will empower the United States to out-innovate and out-compete the rest of the world. Our Tech Hubs Program is fundamental to that mission and will supercharge innovation across the nation by spurring cutting-edge technological investments and creating 21st century job opportunities in people’s backyards,” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. “Each of these consortia will help us ensure the industries of the future—and their good-paying jobs—start, grow, and remain in the United States.”

“Innovation, cutting-edge research, and creativity can be found in every community across America. Thanks to President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda, the Tech Hubs program is seizing that potential and investing in regional consortia that will boost U.S. manufacturing, create more good-paying jobs and bolster U.S. global competitiveness,” said Deputy Secretary of Commerce Don Graves. “The phase 1 designees and grant recipients reflect the diverse technological industries growing here at home and are symbols of American innovation and opportunity. The Tech Hubs program will provide them tools and resources to drive economic growth across the nation, which Americans will feel for generations to come.”

“President Biden’s Tech Hubs program will catalyze technological advances in communities across America, laying the foundations for future centers of world class innovation, manufacturing, and good paying jobs,” said Director of the National Economic Council Lael Brainard.

The Phase 1 winners were selected from nearly 400 applications from regional consortia that include industry, academia, state and local governments, economic development organizations, and labor and workforce partners. As part of the Tech Hubs competition, each consortium outlined plans for strengthening its region’s capacity to manufacture, commercialize, and deploy critical technologies.

“These outstanding Tech Hubs Designees exemplify place-based economic development strategies at their best: combining federal resources with regional assets, expertise, and coalitions to implement transformational opportunities, said Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development Alejandra Y. Castillo. “As each region develops its own strategy to catalyze innovation and job creation, the entire nation grows more secure and more competitive.”

Today, the Department of Commerce launched a second Tech Hubs Notice of Funding Opportunity, allowing these designated Tech Hubs to apply to receive between $40 million and $70 million each for implementation funding, totaling nearly $500 million.

The Tech Hubs designees are:

The Strategy Development Grant (SDG) Recipients are:

Read more about the Tech Hubs program at TechHubs.gov

About the U.S. Economic Development Administration (www.eda.gov)
The mission of the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) is to lead the federal economic development agenda by promoting competitiveness and preparing the nation’s regions for growth and success in the worldwide economy. An agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce, EDA invests in communities and supports regional collaboration in order to create jobs for U.S. workers, promote American innovation, and accelerate long-term sustainable economic growth.


It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.

Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.

Report a typo or error // Submit a news tip

Copyright 2023 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Report a typo