STEM Talent Challenge

OVERVIEW

The U.S Economic Development Administration’s STEM Talent Challenge aims to build STEM talent training systems to strengthen regional innovation economies. The FY21 STEM Talent Challenge will award a total of $2 million in grants to organizations that are creating and implementing STEM talent development strategies that complement their region’s innovation economy. View the FY21 STEM Challenge grantees here.

Projects should aim to identify opportunities in high-growth potential sectors, and to expand and empower the innovation economy workforce, including by:

• Engaging regional entrepreneurs, innovators, and the organizations that support them to assess and forecast current and future talent needs and to develop collaborative solutions with work-based programs;
• Building highly skilled talent and connecting it to highly technical opportunities that foster professional development and provide continuing advanced skills training to develop the technical and scientific workforce that regional innovation initiatives need;
• Strengthening collaboration among entrepreneurs, industry leaders and employers, educational organizations, established corporations, economic and/or workforce development organizations, and the public sector to enable better access to skilled workers and to develop demand-driven workforce pipelines for the innovation economy; and
• Placing new employees into immediate job openings with regional employers in need of STEM talent.

Competition applicants may request up to $250,000 for implementation of a 24-month program. A 1:1 funding match is required.

The STEM Talent Challenge is authorized under Section 28 of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. § 3723).

APPLICANT RESOURCES

• 2021 STEM Talent Challenge NOFO (PDF)
• 2021 STEM Talent Challenge 1-pager / executive summary (PDF)
• 2021 STEM Talent Challenge Frequently Asked Questions (PDF)
• STEM Talent Challenge Informational Webinar
• STEM Talent Challenge Informational Webinar Slides (PDF)
• Optional Budget and Staffing Plan template (DOCX)
• FY 2021 STEM Talent Challenge Competition Debrief Webinar

UPDATES

Join the conversation on social media using the hashtag #STEMtalentchallenge

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