By Lorraine Mirabella, Baltimore Sun
Thirty-one cities and regions have been awarded federal designation as national tech hubs. President Joe Biden announced the hubs Monday, part of a program designed to invest in high-potential U.S. regions and make them globally competitive in emerging technologies.
The $10 billion federal initiative, approved as part of the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022, aims to spur technology-related manufacturing and commercialization in parts of the U.S. with potential to become globally competitive and create jobs in 10 years.
The program aims to diversify technology investment and development beyond Silicon Valley, Boston and New York, which currently attract 80% of tech funding.
The 31 hubs — located across 32 states and Puerto Rico in urban and rural regions — were selected from nearly 400 applications. Hubs are organized around eight general categories, such as autonomous systems, quantum computing, biotechnology, precision medicine, clean energy advancement and semiconductor manufacturing, with each hub specializing in specific technologies.
Each of the 31 designated hubs will be eligible to move on to a second phase to apply for funding for specific projects. An initial pool of $500 million of the $10 billion has been allocated to distribute among all hubs in the first phase. Hubs are able to apply for $40 million to $70 million each.
A closer look: Baltimore tech hub
The Baltimore region, which includes Baltimore and seven surrounding counties, was selected for the federal Tech Hubs Program, putting the area in line for a share of $10 billion in federal funding over five years, including $500 million appropriated for the initial round.
Mark Anthony Thomas, president and CEO of the Greater Baltimore Committee, joined other designees for the announcement at the White House. The GBC organized the region’s bid, which was developed by a 38-member consortium of business and technology leaders.
“This designation will…
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