Great American Tech Hubs Tour 2024
In October 2023, the U.S. Commerce Department’s Economic Development Administration designated 31 Tech Hubs. This summer, we hit the road to visit the Tech Hubs to see their work on the ground. Check back here for highlights of our trips and follow #EDATechHubs on social media.
July 2, 2024
Secretary Gina Raimondo visited the Nevada Tech Hub to announce that 12 Tech Hubs would be awarded a total of $504 million to implement projects, as part of Phase 2 of the Tech Hubs Program. The Nevada Tech Hub received $21 million to help them grow as a national leader in the lithium supply chain and create thousands of jobs. As part of her visit, Secretary Raimondo visited Dragonfly Energy where she toured the facility and got an in-depth look at the company’s manufacturing process.
Deputy Commerce Secretary Don Graves visited ReGen Valley Tech Hub in Manchester, New Hampshire, to highlight the consortium’s $44 million Tech Hubs award to transform Southern New Hampshire into a global epicenter for the production and distribution of regenerative cells, tissues and organs. Graves spoke at 150 Dow Street, a building that is being retrofitted for biofabrication labs and production space, and participated in a trolley tour.
Assistant Secretary Alejandra Y. Castillo visited the South Florida ClimateReady Tech Hub to highlight the consortium’s $19 million Tech Hubs award to implement projects that will advance the region’s global leadership in sustainable and resilient infrastructure (SRI) solutions for the global climate crisis. The Assistant Secretary Castillo visited Florida International University, a consortium member that will support the workforce development programs and other Tech Hub projects.
Local Media Coverage: Nevada Independent, New Hampshire Business Review, Miami Herald
July 18, 2024
Assistant Secretary Alejandra Y. Castillo visited the American Aerospace Materials Manufacturing Tech Hub in Washington. Led by American Aerospace Materials Manufacturing Center (AAMMC), aims to develop new domestic supply chains to meet the immediate demand for high-rate production of advanced composite aerostructures in defense and commercial markets.
The Assistant Secretary toured the University of Washington Advanced Composites Center in Seattle. She participated in roundtable discussions with stakeholders and visited consortium member facilities.
Local Media Coverage: KHQ-TV
July 25, 2024
Assistant Secretary Alejandra Y. Castillo joined Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and other leaders to announce the location of the Illinois Quantum & Mircoelectronics Park on Chicago’s South Side. The park’s first tenant will be PsiQuantum, which plans to build the world’s first commercially viable quantum computing.
The announcement shows continued support for The Bloch Tech Hub in Chicago, which aims to transform the Chicago area from a global leader in quantum research to a global leader in producing quantum products and services solve global challenges with new ways or processing, measuring, and transmitting information.
Local Media Coverage: Chicago Sun-Times
July 26, 2024
Deputy Assistant Secretary Cristina Killingsworth visited Oregon’s two Tech Hubs – Corvallis Microfluids Tech Hub and Pacific Northwest Mass Timber Tech Hub.
July 29, 2024
Tech Hubs Director Eric Smith visited the Texoma Semiconductor Tech Hub, which serves both Oklahoma and Texas, with stops at Austin College, Global Wafers, Grayson College and Southern Methodist University. Click here for more photos of the visit.
August 5, 2024
Deputy Assistant Secretary Cristina Killingsworth visited the Vermont Gallium Nitride Tech Hub in Burlington, Vermont, with a stop at the University of Vermont.
August 7, 2024
Tech Hubs Director Eric Smith visited Rolla and Fredericktown, Missouri, to meet with the Critical Minerals and Materials for Advanced Energy (CM2AE) Tech Hub with stops at U.S. Strategic Metals, Critical Mineral Recovery and Missouri S&T.
August 8, 2024
Deputy Assistant Secretary Cristina Killingsworth visited Rhode Island and Massachusetts to visit with the Ocean Tech Hub, which serves both states. The tour included stops at the Tech Hubs’ key industry partners, including Jaia Robotics, MassRobotics and New Bedford Research & Robotics.
WATCH: Interview with Cristina Killingsworth during visit to Ocean Tech Hub
August 12, 2024
Deputy Assistant Secretary Cristina Killingsworth visited the Gulf Louisiana Offshore Wind Propeller Tech Hub in Louisiana.
August 27, 2024
Tech Hubs Director Eric Smith visited the Advanced Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Tech Hub (APM Tech Hub) in Virginia. The coalition, led by the Commonwealth Center for Advanced Manufacturing, seeks to re-shore safe and affordable medicines via innovative hybrid and continuous flow manufacturing technologies
August 28, 2024
Deputy Assistant Secretary Cristina Killingsworth visited Alabama to meet with the Birmingham Biotechnology Hub, a coalition led by the Southern Research Institute. The Tech Hub is an emerging global leader in artificial intelligence (AI)-drive biotechnology that aims to be a global hub for drug, vaccine, and diagnostics development by applying AI-driven biotechnology to increase diverse representation in clinical genomic data and clinical trials.
In a separate visit on Aug. 28, Tech Hubs Director Eric Smith visited the Baltimore Tech Hub, led by the Greater Baltimore Committee, to learn more about the coalition’s strategy to deliver precise and predictive medicine that improve health outcomes and increase longevity with drugs, devices, and therapies that are closely tailored to each person’s unique genome, environment, and history by developing these products and services and getting them in the hands of doctors and patients.
Local Media Coverage: CBS Baltimore: Baltimore showcases its top tech programs
September 9, 2024
Tech Hubs Director Eric Smith visited Champaign-Urbana and Decatur, Illinois to meet with the iFAB Tech Hub, led by University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He was joined by U.S. Rep. Nikki Budzinski, IL-13. The Tech Hub, also known as the Illinois Fermentation and Agriculture Biomanufacturing Tech Hub, highlights the region’s role as an emerging global leader in advancing biomanufacturing.
Local Media Coverage: WCIA-TV: Federal officials visit U of I’s Integrated Bioprocessing Research Lab
September 13, 2024
Maryam Janani-Flores, Chief of Staff at the U.S. Economic Development Administration, visited the Kansas City Inclusive Biologics and Biomanufacturing Tech Hub (KC BioHub), which serves both Missouri and Kansas. Janani-Flores and the Tech Hubs Program team worked with the KC BioHub, a Tech Hub led by the BioNexus KC, to strengthen their strategy to increase domestic production of life-saving vaccines and other preventative technologies.
Local Media Coverage: Startland News: Biden-Harris official tours KC BioHub; region prepares to reapply for federal Tech Hubs funding
September 16, 2024
Deputy Commerce Secretary Don Graves visited the Elevate Quantum Tech Hub in Colorado and participated in a groundbreaking for a new Quantum Tech Park in Arvada, Colorado. The park is 70 acres and will be dedicated to elevating quantum technology and research in Colorado. Graves joined Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, Colorado School of Mines President Paul C. Johnson and others for the event. He visited the Tech Hub to learn more about their strategies to become a global leadership in quantum information technology (QIT) to enable progress in areas such as artificial intelligence, climate tech, and healthcare. Tapping into regional expertise and assets, including leading national laboratories, this Tech Hub will build on existing relationships between the regional research community and private sector to unlock transformative technologies needed to move quantum-based products to market.
Local Media Coverage: Colorado Sun: Colorado’s multimillion dollar investment in quantum gets 70-acre campus in Arvada
September 17, 2024
Cristina Killingsworth, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy and External Affairs, performing the non-exclusive functions and duties of the Assistant Secretary for Economic Development, visited the PRBio Tech Hub, to learn more about the consortium’s strategy to advance the region as a global leader in biotechnology through fast-tracking the discovery, development, manufacturing, and supply of next generation biotechnology and medical device products to detect, treat, and cure diseases and ailments. PRBio Tech Hub is lead by the Puerto Rico Science, Technology and Research Trust.
September 26, 2024
Eric Smith, performing the duties for the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy, visited the Intermountain-West Nuclear Energy Corridor, led by the Idaho Advanced Energy Consortium, to learn more about the coalition’s strategy to advance the region as a global leader in small modular reactors and advanced nuclear energy. The Intermountain-West Nuclear Energy Corridor is led by the Idaho Advanced Energy Consortium.
October 1, 2024
Eric Smith, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy, visited the Minnesota MedTech Hub 3.0 (MMT3.0) in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota. MMT3.0 highlights the region’s role as an emerging global leader for Smart MedTech by integrating artificial intelligence, machine learning, and data science into medical technology. While there, Mr. Smith worked with the Tech Hub to strengthen their strategy to leverage its medical technology ecosystem and unique assets to interconnect data, support entrepreneurs, increase capital, remove barriers for workers, and accelerate innovation across the region.
October 3, 2024
Eric Smith, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy, visited the Forest Bioproducts Advanced Manufacturing Tech Hub in Maine. The coalition, led by the Maine Technology Institute, aims to position their region as a global leader in forest-based biomaterial production and manufacturing by extracting biological building blocks from forests, manipulating them for use, and manufacturing environmentally sustainable products from those components.
October 7, 2024
Acting Assistant Secretary Cristina Killingsworth visited Tulsa, Oklahoma to meet with the Tulsa Hub for Equitable & Trustworthy Autonomy (THETA Tech Hub), a consortium led by the Tulsa Innovation Labs. The THETA Tech Hub is working to develop and commercialize autonomous systems and become a global leader over the next decade. During the visit, Killingsworth viewed a technology demonstration at the Gathering Place and nearby Arkansas River that showcased how uncrewed aerial vehicles, such as drones, can be operated and monitored remotely to help right-size emergency response in rescue scenarios.
Local Media Coverage: Fox32: Tulsa Innovation Labs hosts 2024 Inside Innovation Summit
In a separate visit, Eric Smith, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of Policy, visited the PROPEL Tech Hub in Philadelphia, Penn., a consortium led by the Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern PA that serves Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The consortium’s regional plan includes supercharging its end-to-end precision medicine ecosystem and become a global leader over the next decade. Smith will be on-hand to learn more about the components of the PROPEL Tech Hub and visit several anchor institutions involved in the initiative.
October 16, 2024
Maryam Janani-Flores, Chief of Staff at the U.S. Economic Development Administration, visited The Bloch Tech Hub, which serves the Chicago, Illinois region. Janani-Flores and the Tech Hubs Program team worked with the lead agency Chicago Quantum Exchange and other consortia members to further develop their plans to transform the region into a global leader in quantum information science and technology. The visit included opportunities to learn more about hard tech business startup support, industry adoption, and innovative ways to build an inclusive quantum workforce.
October 21, 2024
Cristina Killingsworth, Acting Assistant Secretary for Economic Development at the U.S. Economic Development Administration, visited the SC Nexus for Advanced Resilient Energy (SC Nexus) Tech Hub in South Carolina. SC Nexus, which also serves Georgia, aims to be a global leader in advanced energy, with a focus on cyber-secure grid resilient technologies (GRT) and improving the clean energy supply chain. Led by the South Carolina Department of Commerce, the Tech Hub is implementing projects to expand pilot manufacturing infrastructure, upgrade an existing grid testing facility for GRTs, develop a full-scale multi-modal grid operations center and raise awareness about GRT careers.
October 24, 2024
Cristina Killingsworth, Acting Assistant Secretary for Economic Development visited the New York Semiconductor Manufacturing and Research Technology Innovation Corridor (NY SMART I-Corridor) which serves Upstate New York. The Hub, led by CenterState Corporation for Economic Opportunity, aims to enhance regional semiconductor manufacturing capabilities while ensuring economic opportunity for underserved communities. While in New York, Killingsworth and the Tech Hubs program team worked with consortia members to further develop their plans to transform the region into a global leader in semiconductor manufacturing. The NY SMART I-Corridor Tech Hub was awarded approximately $40 million to establish a supply chain network, close critical gaps in workforce, and access to research and development.
October 28, 2024
Acting Assistant Secretary for Economic Development Cristina Killingsworth visited the Wisconsin Biohealth Tech Hub, which serves Wisconsin. Killingsworth and the Tech Hubs Program team worked with the lead agency, BioForward Wisconsin and other consortia members to advance the hub’s plans to transform the region into global leader in personalized medicine. By leveraging the region’s cluster of healthcare assets and track record of commercializing medical research, the hub will strengthen personalized medicine innovation and manufacturing and commercialization ecosystem in key areas. The visit included opportunities to learn more about the hub’s implementation projects.
Meanwhile, in Ohio, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy Eric Smith visited the Sustainable Polymers Tech Hub, which serves the Akron-region. Smith, Tech Hubs Program team members, and consortia leaders worked together to further the hub’s plans to bolster the region’s ability to scale up sustainable polymer manufacturing and commercialization. Led by the Greater Akron Chamber, the Sustainable Polymers Tech Hub aims to tackle the server climate and environmental impacts resulting from the use of fossil fuel-derived polymers.
November 12, 2024
Cristina Killingsworth, Acting Assistant Secretary for Economic Development, visited Heartland BioWorks Tech Hub, to learn more about the consortium’s strategy to advance the region as a global leader in biotechnology and biomanufacturing. While in Indiana, Killingsworth and the Tech Hubs Program team met with consortia members to further the hub’s plans to catalyze regional biotech innovation by leveraging the region’s research institutions, venture ecosystem, logistics infrastructure, and established pharmaceutical and biotechnology manufacturing.
November 18, 2024
Acting Assistant Secretary for Economic Development Cristina Killingsworth visited the Headwaters Hub Tech Hub, which serves Montana. The Hub, led by Accelerate Montana, aims to become a global leader in smart, autonomous, photonic remote sensing technologies. While in Montana, Killingsworth and the Tech Hubs Program team worked with consortia members to advance the hub’s plans to leverage regional assets including a concentration of photonics companies and the diverse geographic landscape of western Montana to integrate remote sensing systems with advances in embedded processors. The visit included opportunities to learn more about the hub’s implementation projects.