WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration said Tuesday it is providing $504 million in implementation grants for a dozen “tech hubs” in areas including Ohio, Montana, Nevada and Florida.
The money would be used to develop quantum computing, bioproduction, lithium batteries, computer chips, personal medicine and other technologies.
The government is trying to encourage more technological innovation across the country, rather than concentrating it in a few metropolitan areas such as San Francisco, Seattle, Boston and New York City.
“The reality is that there are smart people, great entrepreneurs and leading research institutions all across the country,” Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said in a phone call preparing for the announcement. “We are missing out on so much potential if we don’t give them the tools to compete and win in the technology sectors that will define the global economy of the 21st century.”
The money comes from the Commerce Department’s Economic Development Administration. In October 2023, President Joe Biden designated 31 tech hubs. Raimondo said the administration was pushing for more funding for the program so all designated tech hubs could get additional resources to compete.
The tech hubs receiving funding include:
— $41 million for Elevate Quantum Tech Hub in Colorado and New Mexico
— $41 million for the Headwaters Hub in Montana
— $51 million for Heartland BioWorks in Indiana
— $51 million for the iFAB Tech Hub in Illinois
— $21 million for Nevada Tech Hub
— $40 million for the NY SMART I-Corridor Tech Hub in New York
— $44 million for ReGen Valley Tech Hub in New Hampshire
— $45 million for the SC Nexus for advanced resilient energy in South Carolina and Georgia
— $19 million for the South Florida ClimateReady Tech Hub
— $51 million for Ohio’s Sustainable Polymers Tech Hub
— $51 million for the Tulsa Hub for Fair and Trustworthy Autonomy in Oklahoma
— $51 million for the Wisconsin Biohealth Teach Hub.
