Biden Administration Announces 31 Regional Innovation and Technology Hubs

On October 23, 2023, the Biden Administration announced the designation of 31 communities across the United States as Regional Innovation and Technology Hubs (Tech Hubs) through the U.S. Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration. According to the fact sheet, the Tech Hubs focus on developing and growing innovative industries in regions across the country, bringing together private industry, state and local governments, institutions of higher education, labor unions, Tribal communities, and nonprofit organizations to compete for up to $75 million implementation grants to develop technology further and make transformative investments in innovation, supply chain resilience, and job creation. The Tech Hubs include:

Advancing Biotechnology in Drugs and Medical Devices

• Advanced Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Tech Hub (Virginia), led by the Commonwealth Center for Advanced Manufacturing, aims to accelerate the growth, innovation, and sustainability of the United States-based advanced pharmaceutical manufacturing industry to reshore safe and affordable medicines via innovative hybrid and continuous flow manufacturing technologies.

• ReGen Valley Tech Hub (New Hampshire), led by the Advanced Regenerative Manufacturing Institute (ARMI), aims to make New Hampshire a global leader in biofabrication to produce cost-effective regenerative therapies that address chronic disease and organ failure.

• iFAB Tech Hub (Illinois), led by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, aims to scale precision fermentation to convert underutilized corn feedstocks into high-value, customized alternative proteins, food ingredients, materials, chemicals, and more.

• Kansas City Inclusive Biologics and Biomanufacturing Tech Hub (Missouri, Kansas), led by BioNexus KC, aims to position eastern Kansas and western Missouri as a global leader in biologics and biomanufacturing, increasing domestic production of lifesaving vaccines and other preventive technologies.

• Heartland BioWorks (Indiana), led by the Applied Research Institute, aims to develop central Indiana into a global leader in biotechnology and biomanufacturing by increasing the region’s capacity to make and deploy lifesaving medicines.

• PRBio Tech Hub (Puerto Rico), led by the Puerto Rico Science, Technology and Research Trust, aims to advance the region as a global leader in biotechnology through fast-tracking the discovery, development, manufacturing, and supply of next-generation biotechnology and medical device products to detect, treat, and cure diseases and ailments.

Growing the Future of Materials Manufacturing

• Sustainable Polymers Tech Hub (Ohio), led by the Greater Akron Chamber, aims to tackle the severe climate and environmental impacts resulting from the use of fossil fuel-derived polymers (rubbers and plastics) through accelerating sustainable polymer manufacturing and commercialization in the United States.

• Forest Bioproducts Advanced Manufacturing Tech Hub (Maine), led by the Maine Technology Institute, aims to become a global leader in forest-based biomaterial production and manufacturing by innovating the process of extracting biological building blocks to manufacture environmentally sustainable products.