The U.S. Department of Commerce has  designated 31 Tech Hubs in regions across the country.

This is the first phase of the Tech Hubs program, which is an economic development initiative designed to drive regional innovation and job creation by strengthening a region’s capacity to manufacture, commercialise, and deploy technology that will advance American competitiveness.

The programme invests directly in burgeoning, high-potential U.S. regions and aims to transform them into globally competitive innovation centers.

Tech Hubs was authorised by the US  Chips and Science Act. The Hubs are located across 32 states and Puerto Rico, and represent a cross-section of urban and rural regions.

Designation is an endorsement of the region’s plans to supercharge their respective technological industries to create jobs, strengthen U.S. competitiveness, and protect national security.

The Tech Hubs announced yesterday focus on industries ranging from autonomous systems, quantum computing, biotechnology, precision medicine, clean energy advancement, semiconductor manufacturing, and more.

29 Strategy Development Grants (SDG) were also awardedto help communities significantly increase local coordination and planning activities. Such development could make selected grantees more competitive for future Tech Hubs funding opportunities.

The Phase 1 winners were selected from nearly 400 applications from regional consortia that include industry, academia, state and local governments, economic development organizations, and labor and workforce partners.

As part of the Tech Hubs competition, each consortium outlined plans for strengthening its region’s capacity to manufacture, commercialize, and deploy critical technologies.

DoC has launched a second Tech Hubs Notice of Funding Opportunity, allowing these designated Tech Hubs to apply to receive between $40 million and $70 million each for implementation funding, totaling nearly $500 million.

The Tech Hubs designees are:

Safe and Effective Autonomous Systems
Headwaters Hub – smart photonic sensor systems in MT
Ocean Tech Hub – ocean robotics, sensors, and materials in RI, MA
Trustworthy & Equitable Autonomous Systems Tech Hub – secure autonomous systems in OK
Maintaining Our Quantum Edge
Elevate Quantum Colorado – quantum information technology in CO
The Bloch Tech Hub – quantum computing and communications in IL, IN, and WI
Advancing Biotechnology: Drugs and Devices
Advanced Pharma Manufacturing Tech Hub – active pharma ingredient manufacturing in VA
ReGen Valley Tech Hub – organ and tissue biofabrication in NH
iFab Tech Hub – precision fermentation and biomanufacturing in IL
Kansas City Inclusive Biologics and Biomanufacturing Tech Hub– vaccine-related biologics and manufacturing in MO and KS
Heartland BioWorks – biologics manufacturing in IN
PRBio Tech Hub – biopharmaceutical and medical device manufacturing in Puerto Rico
Advancing Biotechnology: Precision and Prediction
Wisconsin Biohealth Tech Hub – personalized medicine in WI
Baltimore Tech Hub – predictive healthcare in MD
Birmingham Biotechnology Hub – equitable AI-driven biotechnology in AL
Greater Philadelphia Region Precision Medicine Tech Hub–  end to end precision medicine in PA, DE, MD, and NJ
Minnesota MedTech 3.0 – smart medical technologies in MN and WI
Accelerating Our Energy Transition
Gulf Louisiana Offshore Wind Propeller – offshore wind and renewable energy in LA
Intermountain-West Nuclear Energy Tech Hub– small modular reactors and microreactors in ID and WY
SC Nexus for Advanced Resilient Energy – clean energy supply chain in SC and GA
South Florida Climate Resilience Tech Hub– sustainable and climate resilient infrastructure in FL
New Energy New York (NENY) Battery Tech Hub – end to end battery development and manufacturing in NY
Strengthening Our Critical Minerals Supply Chain
Critical Minerals and Materials for Advanced Energy (CM2AE) Tech Hub– critical mineral processing in MO
Nevada Lithium Batteries and Other EV Material Loop – lithium batteries and electric vehicle materials in NV
Regaining Leadership in Semiconductor Manufacturing
Texoma Semiconductor Innovation Consortium – fablet-based semiconductor manufacturing in TX and OK
Corvallis Microfluidics Tech Hub – microfluidics platforms in OR
Advancing GaN Tech Hub – gallium nitride-based semiconductors in VT
NY SMART I-Corridor Tech Hub – end-to-end semiconductor manufacturing in NY
Growing the Future of Materials Manufacturing
Sustainable Polymers Tech Hub – sustainable plastics and rubbers in OH
Forest Bioproducts Advanced Manufacturing Tech Hub – sustainable wood biomass polymers in ME
American Aerospace Materials Manufacturing Tech Hub – aerospace materials manufacturing in WA and ID
Pacific Northwest Mass Timber Tech Hub– mass timber manufacturing and design in WA and OR
 The Strategy Development Grant (SDG) Recipients are:

Advanced Manufacturing of Critical Materials Strategy Development Consortium
Alaska Tech Strategy Development Consortium
Black Hills Deep Underground Frontier Strategy Development Consortium
Carolinas Innovation Center for Optics and Metrology (CICOM) Strategy Development Consortium
Corvallis Microfluidics Tech Hub (*Tech Hubs Designee)
Critical Minerals and Materials for Advanced Energy (CM2AE) Tech Hub (*Tech Hubs Designee)
Forest Bioproducts Advanced Manufacturing Tech Hub (*Tech Hubs Designee)
Gulf Louisiana Offshore Wind Propeller (*Tech Hubs Designee)
Headwaters Hub (*Tech Hubs Designee)
Intermountain-West Nuclear Energy Tech Hub(*Tech Hubs Designee)
Lithium Valley Clean Tech Strategy Development Consortium
Materials Advancement and Research Solutions (MARS) Strategy Development Consortium
Medical Device Manufacturing Multiplier Strategy Development Consortium
Midwest Wireless Innovation Strategy Development Consortium
Model-Based Enterprise Tech Strategy Development Consortium
North Central Pressed Materials Strategy Development Consortium
Ocean Tech Hub (*Tech Hubs Designee)
Pacific Northwest Smart Energy Strategy Development Consortium
PRBio Tech Hub (*Tech Hubs Designee)
Regional Energy Business, Education, & Commercialization Convergence Accelerator (REBECCA) Energy Strategy Development Consortium
Secure Manufacturing in South Texas Strategy Development Consortium
Southeast Biotech Collaborative (SEBC) Strategy Development Consortium
Sustainable Polymers Tech Hub (*Tech Hubs Designee)
Texoma Semiconductor Tech Hub (*Tech Hubs Designee)
Virginia’s Additive Manufacturing & Applied Materials Strategy Development Consortium
West Virginia Advanced Energy & Industrial Technology Manufacturing (WV-AEIM) Strategy Development Consortium
Western North Carolina Industrialized Construction (NCIC) Strategy Development Consortium
Wisconsin Biohealth Tech Hub (*Tech Hubs Designee)
WV Tech Strategy Development Consortium