Biden-Harris Administration Awards Planning Grant to Strengthen the Advanced Energy Sector in Louisville, Kentucky

WASHINGTON, DC — The Biden-Harris administration, through the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA), today announced that the Regional Energy Business, Education, & Commercialization Convergence Accelerator (REBECCA) Energy Strategy Development Consortium in Louisville, Kentucky, was awarded a Tech Hubs Strategy Development Grant to develop a strategy and regional coalition. It will repurpose a remediated brownfield site into an energy hub that incubates emerging companies and technologies related to advanced energy, such as batteries, hydrogen, solar energy production, and biofuels.

REBECCA, a consortium led by the University of Louisville Research Foundation, will leverage the grant to increase local coordination and planning activities to strengthen its region’s capacity to manufacture, commercialize, and deploy technologies critical to U.S. economic and national security. The Tech Hubs Program, authorized by the CHIPS and Science Act, is investing in U.S. regions and aims to transform them into globally competitive innovation centers. This consortium was selected for a grant from a competitive pool of 181 applications.

“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.”

“These outstanding consortia 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.”

“As the original Republican champion of the Regional Technology and Innovation Hubs program, my goal was to spur more innovation in technologies of the future in places like Indiana, rather than just Silicon Valley and a few coastal cities. Today’s announcement of Phase One designated Hubs and strategy development grant recipients is a first but important step towards advancing this vision. In addition to the federal investment that will be allocated through the program, these regions will see the floodgates open for more private capital in R&D in key technology focus areas across the country,” said Indiana Senator Todd Young.

“I’m thrilled the UofL Research Foundation is receiving this tech hubs grant and using the money to bolster our economic and national security through energy innovation and manufacturing,” said Representative Morgan McGarvey (KY-03). “It will create new jobs in Louisville and continue building Kentucky’s growing dominance in manufacturing. This opportunity for our community is a direct result of the CHIPS and Science Act passed by Congressional Democrats and President Biden, and shows what is possible when we invest in American manufacturing and the American people.”

For a full list of Tech Hubs, visit 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.