Senior U.S. Department of Commerce Official Visits Birmingham Biotechnology Hub in Alabama

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Cristina Killingsworth, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy, visited the Birmingham Biotechnology Hub in Alabama. The Biden-Harris Administration, through the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA), designated the Birmingham Biotechnology Hub, a coalition led by the Southern Research Institute, as a Regional Technology and Innovation Hub (Tech Hub) in October 2023. 

The Birmingham Biotechnology Hub highlights the region’s role as an emerging global leader in artificial intelligence (AI)-drive biotechnology. While there, Tech Hubs program leadership will work with the Tech Hub to strengthen their strategy 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.

The Tech Hubs Program is a flagship initiative aimed at advancing U.S. leadership in technologies and industries critical to national security. The designation of the Birmingham Biotechnology Hub is a strong endorsement of the region’s plan to supercharge its critical technology ecosystem and become a global leader in biotechnology over the next decade, advancing U.S. national security and global competitiveness.   

“The Birmingham Biotechnology Hub embodies the spirit and potential of the Tech Hubs program to take centers of excellence and make them world-class tech ecosystems through targeted investments,” said Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. “That’s precisely why I’ve asked Cristina Killingsworth to travel to Alabama with a team to meet with leadership and provide technical assistance on their strategy. The Tech Hubs Program is crucial to ensuring tech industries vital to U.S. economic and national security start, stay, and grow in the U.S., and that’s why I’m committed to future rounds of funding and working with lawmakers to support additional federal resources to support all of our designees.” 

The Tech Hubs Program, authorized for $10 billion in the bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act, is designed to increase the capacity and pace with which Americans make, deliver, and deploy innovative technologies, creating new, growing companies and new, good jobs.  

Read more about the Tech Hubs program at 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.