Biden-Harris Administration Awards Planning Grant to Strengthen the Housing Production Sector in Hickory, North Carolina
As part of the President’s Investing in America agenda, the U.S. Department of Commerce leverages Tech Hubs Program to spur regional innovation and job creation.
WASHINGTON, DC — The Biden-Harris administration, through the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA), today announced that the Western North Carolina Industrialized Construction Strategy Development Consortium in Hickory, North Carolina, was awarded a Tech Hubs Strategy Development Grant. It will help foster an industrialized construction strategy for offsite manufacturing of prefabricated construction components, contributing to affordable housing production and sustainable construction materials and techniques.
The Western North Carolina Industrialized Construction Strategy Development Consortium, led by ADL Ventures, 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 a strong supporter of the CHIPS and Science Act, I am thrilled that the Western North Carolina Industrialized Construction Strategy Development Consortium was selected for a Strategy Development Grant through the Tech Hubs Program,” said North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis. “North Carolina has a long history of leadership in the manufacturing industry, and this grant will be a game changer for the region and will help North Carolina continue to lead the way to making our nation more globally competitive.”
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.