Voice of Business Blog

On Tuesday, July 2, the Biden-Harris administration announced the next phase of the Tech Hubs Program, which was authorized $10 billion over five years by the CHIPS and Science Act to expand selected regional economies across the country, growing the production of critical technologies and creating new jobs. In this second phase, 12 Tech Hubs were selected out of 31 Tech Hub Designees to receive a total of $504 million in implementation grants. 

In phase 1, the 31 Designees brought in more than $4 billion in investment commitments and catalyzed policy changes to support their strategies. In phase 2, the Tech Hubs created projects to grow into globally recognized regions that will produce the technologies of tomorrow. Since the Tech Hubs were designated in October 2023, consortia membership has grown by 50%, a third of whom are industry partners. If more funding becomes available, the EDA plans to invest in additional regions. 

Elevate Quantum Tech Hub (Colorado and New Mexico; $41 million):
Located in rural Grand County and the Denver-Aurora Combined Statistical Area, this Hub focuses on quantum information technology (QIT), supporting progress in artificial intelligence, climate tech, and healthcare, among other areas. This Tech Hub seeks to implement three projects: building open-access quantum labs; providing workforce development programs across colleges, universities, and companies; and coordinating the consortium’s overall strategy, engagement, and management. 

Headwaters Hub (Montana; $41 million):
Located in Missoula, Bozeman, Kalispell, and Butte, this Hub focuses on smart photonic sensor systems, supporting the development of remote sensing systems with built-in artificial intelligence and machine learning capabilities to tackle critical defense, resource management, and disaster prevention needs. This Tech Hub seeks to implement five projects, including: creating environmentally specific testbeds for final-stage testing of technologies; building the regional photonics sector through increased career opportunities, worker training and placement, and extending on-ramps to Native and rural students; and expanding development infrastructure and market opportunities. 

Heartland BioWorks (Indiana; $51 million):
Located in Indianapolis, this Hub focuses on biomanufacturing, leveraging research institutions, venture ecosystem, logistics infrastructure, and established pharmaceutical and biotechnology manufacturing presence to grow the regions capacity to develop life-saving medicines. This Tech Hub seeks to implement four projects: connecting workers to good jobs; bringing together innovators and facilities and venture capital funding; constructing BioWorks HQ, a worker training facility; and implementing a grant program to provide innovators access to facilities. 

iFAB Tech Hub (Illinois; $51 million):
Located in Champaign-Urbana and Decatur, this Hub focuses on precision fermentation and biomanufacturing, utilizing regional assets in corn and soy production, food processing infrastructure, and research to scale precision fermentation to convert corn feedstocks into zero-emission, high-value alternatives, including proteins, food ingredients, and chemicals. This Tech Hub seeks to implement four projects, including: upgrading existing facilities to increase food production capacity; sharing equipment, growing capital access, and contracting research organization to bring in global companies and retain local entrepreneurs; and implementing worker training programs. 

Nevada Tech Hub (Nevada; $21 million):
Located in Carson City and Reno, this Hub focuses on lithium batteries and electric vehicle materials, working to coordinate innovation with established companies, startups, education, and workforce development organization to build a self-sustaining and globally competitive full lithium lifecycle cluster. This Tech Hub seeks to implement two projects: collaborating with students and workers to provide educational and work opportunities, training them and keeping them in the region, and supporting Native American and Indigenous communities to promote their engagement with the industry.  

ReGen Valley tech Hub (New Hampshire; $44 million):
Located in Manchester-Nashua, this Hub focuses on biofabrication, aiming to advance biofabrication-related therapies, train critical workforce, and invest in manufacturing facilities to produce cost-effective regenerative therapies that tackle chronic disease and organ failure. This Tech Hub seeks to implement five projects: scaling commercialization capacity; creating a multi-institution Common Campus model to attract, retain, and develop workforce talent; increasing awareness of regenerative therapies among clinics and the public through outreach events; advancing a aid apprenticeship program to address workforce gaps and providing childcare spaces for the industries workforce; and driving consortium-wide engagement while ensuring equitable outcomes and inclusive growth efforts.  

SC Nexus for Advanced Resilient Energy (South Carolina and Georgia; $45 million):
Located in Midlands and Upstate South Carolina, Columbia, Spartanburg, and Augusta-Richmond County, this Hub focuses on cyber-secure grid resilient technologies (GRTs) and the clean energy supply chain, leveraging the region’s manufacturing base, research capabilities, and public-private collaboration to produce emerging energy storage materials, manufacturing techniques, and exportable electricity technologies regionally. These will help expand the use of GRTs and distributed energy resources (DERs) that will strengthen energy supplies, promote decarbonization, and reduce grid disruptions. This Tech Hub seeks to implement four projects: growing pilot manufacturing infrastructure to improve production of battery energy storage systems; upgrading and existing grid testing facility for GRTs; developing a cyber security operations center; and promoting GRT careers, improving workforce training, and creating support services like childcare and transportation.  

South Florida ClimateReady Tech Hub (Florida; $19 million):
Located in Miami-Dade, Monroe, Broward, and Palm Beach counties, this Hub focuses on sustainable and climate-resilient infrastructure (SRI), capitalizing off the region’s coastal and marine infrastructure, clean cement and energy efficiency building industries, and academic research institutions to develop SRI technologies. This Tech Hub seeks to implement three projects: supporting advanced concrete technologies with reduced emissions that protect low-lying environments; establishing workforce development programs; and fostering collaboration between government, advocacy groups, companies, and academia. 

Sustainable Polymers Tech Hub (Ohio; $51 million):
Located in Akron, this Hub focuses on sustainable polymers, pairing plastic and rubber manufacturing plants with regional R&D partnerships to develop emissions-advantaged plastic and rubber technology. This Tech Hub seeks to implement seven projects, including: workforce development programs; increasing production of bio-based butadiene, an alternative to synthetic rubber; increasing pilot scale testing of advanced carbon nanotube reinforced products; developing environmentally safe alternatives to producing tires, rubber, and plastics; and commercializing the recycling of end-of-life tires by recovering and re-using polymers in discarded scrap tire waste products. 

Tulsa Hub for Equitable & Trustworthy Autonomy (Oklahoma; $51 million):
Located in the Greater Tulsa Region, this Hub focuses on secure autonomous systems, using its EDA Build Back Better Regional Challenge award, uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) and cybersecurity research institutions, the Skyway Range flight corridor testing facility, and existing capital investments to become a leader in developing autonomous systems ranging from assisting agriculture inspections to supporting regional transportation. This Tech Hub seeks to implement six projects: improving coordination between universities and startups; building a new testing and simulation environment, focused on cyber and data management; identifying opportunities in supply chains and building a center for companies to expand production; creating and AI Center for Excellence to grow opportunities and exposure; expanding workforce training programs; and establishing governance structures to oversee projects and secure additional funding. 

Wisconsin Biohealth Tech Hub (Wisconsin; $49 million):
Located in Madison and Milwaukee-Waukesha, this Hub focuses on personalized medicine, facilitating medical coordination and data sharing, expanding lab space and computing capacity, developing critical genomic technology, and aiding domestic biotech manufacturing to become a leader in personalized medicine, an approach that designs tests and treatments specifically tailored to a patient’s unique genetic code. This Tech Hub seeks to implement five projects: creating a comprehensive patient data system; deploying mobile cancer screening and healthcare referral fleets to underserved communities; developing a workforce talent pipeline; and coordinating initiatives and metrics to reinforce innovation and collaboration. 

NY SMART I-Corridor Tech Hub (New York; $40 million):
Located in Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Ithaca, Auburn, and Batavia, this Hub focuses on semiconductor manufacturing, coordinating between the region’s semiconductor investments, supply chains, scientific capabilities coalitions, and other partners to improves the region’s semiconductor manufacturing capabilities, while supporting its underserved communities. This Tech Hub seeks to implement four projects: establishing new supply chains; creating workforce development programs; increasing access to regional semiconductor research and development assets; and integrating consortium-wide strategy support and management. 

In Greater Rochester, tech startups are now regularly seeing multi-million-dollar investments from both inside and outside the region, with many becoming among the fastest growing companies in the nation. Among others, the Rochester Angel Network and Excell Partners have led venture funding. Additionally, not only has Excell Partners supported local business, but they have also brought in foreign companies; last year, they helped recruit Neurogenesis, an Israeli-based biotech company, to move to Rochester. Excell has attracted $430 million in private capital outside its own investments, meaning Rochester is quickly becoming one of the country’s leading tech hubs.