UNDERSTANDING THE PROGRAM The Tech Hubs Program seeks to strengthen U.S. economic and national security by ensuring the industries of the future—and their good jobs—start, grow, and remain in the United States. The Tech Hubs Program will make place-based investments in regions with the assets, resources, capacity, and potential to become globally competitive, within a reasonable period of time, in critical technologies and industries. EDA will run this competition with a focus on geographic diversity and equity. Successful proposals will demonstrate a region’s capabilities in, and focus on, its primary technological strength, and its potential for Tech Hubs investments to enable the region to become the global leader in that critical technology area within a decade.
The Program provides for two funding opportunities. The first phase of awards will designate promising Tech Hubs across America and provide strategy development awards to accelerate their development—applicants choose to apply for one or both of designation and a strategy development award. A second phase will provide significant strategy implementation awards to help Tech Hubs reach their full potential.
PHASE 1: Designating Tech Hubs EDA expects to designate at least 20 Tech Hubs across the country and make a commensurate amount of strategy development awards utilizing approximately $15 million of the $500 million available. The Tech Hubs designation will be a widelyrecognized indicator of a region’s potential for rapid economic growth. The designated Tech Hubs will be invited to apply for Phase 2.
PHASE 2: Supporting Implementation EDA expects to make at least 5 implementation awards with the remaining available funding to designated Tech Hubs. Contingent on future funding levels, EDA aims to invest in more Hubs to expand the Program’s portfolio of technologies and places and may make follow-on investments in successful Hubs with opportunities for additional impact.
WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO APPLY?
For the Tech Hubs Program, only consortia are eligible, and each consortium has certain required and optional entity types. For the Tech Hubs Program, EDA defines a Hub’s geography as a single Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). Consortia may include assets or members outside that MSA— e.g., in nonmetro-rural areas or distant but tightly integrated organizations—that support the consortia’s strategy and benefit the Hub. If you have questions about whether you are an eligible entity, please contact techhubs@eda.gov.
WHEN WILL YOU BE ABLE TO APPLY?
PHASE 1: Late April/early May 2023 with a two-month application window PHASE 2: Announcement of designations and Phase 2 application window open by the end of Summer 2023 While EDA will consider a variety of factors, generally, successful applicants in Phase 1 will demonstrate they have resources, capability, coordination, and vision to become a Tech Hub grounded in their selected core technology area within the ten key technology focus areas set out in the Tech Hubs statute. Given the Program’s goals, applicants in Phase 1 will primarily be measured on their articulation of the alignment of the region’s existing assets, potential, and overall strategy with its opportunity to become the global leader in its technology area.
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