Florida – Tuesday, July 2, 2024: TThe Biden administration today announced $504 million in implementation grants for a dozen tech hubs in Florida and 13 other states.
The grants will support the development of quantum computing, biomanufacturing, lithium batteries, computer chips, personal medicine and other technologies. The Democratic administration is trying to encourage more technological innovation across the country, rather than having it concentrated in a few metropolitan areas like San Francisco, Seattle, Boston and New York.
The South Florida ClimateReady Tech Hub in Miami-Dade County will receive $19 million in grant funding. The ClimateReady Tech Hub was designated as a tech hub by the Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) in October 2023. It works with public, private, academic and philanthropic partners to commercialize and deploy climate technologies. Their goal is to scale climate-resilient infrastructure built in the South
Florida. This includes both adaptation and mitigation products to withstand extreme weather events, increased flooding and winds, and increased heat.
“The reality is that there are smart people, great entrepreneurs and leading research institutions all across the country,” Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said on a call announcing the announcement. “We are missing out on enormous potential if we don’t give them the resources they need to compete and win in the technology sectors that will define the 21st century global economy.”
The money comes from the Commerce Department’s Economic Development Administration. In October 2023, President Joe Biden designated 31 tech hubs. Raimondo said the administration is pushing for more funding for the program so that all designated tech hubs can get additional resources to compete.
Other technology hubs receiving funding include:
- $41 million for Elevate quantum technology center in Colorado and New Mexico
- $41 million for Headwaters Hub in Montana
- $51 million for Heartland BioWorks in Indiana
- $51 million for iFAB Tech Hub in Illinois
- $21 million for Nevada Tech Hub
- $40 million for NY SMART I-Corridor Tech Hub in New York
- $44 million for ReGen Valley tech hub in New Hampshire
- $45 million for SC Nexus for Advanced Resilient Energy in South Carolina and Georgia
- $51 million for Sustainable Polymers Tech Hub in Ohio
- $51 Million for Tulsa Hub for Equitable and Trustworthy Self-Reliance in Oklahoma
- $51 million for the Wisconsin Biohealth Teach Hub.
