The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration today awarded $504 million in grants to 12 regional Tech Hubs across the country, but Spokane’s Tech Hub for developing advanced aerospace materials missed out.
Leaders of the Inland Northwest Tech Hub said they’d keep looking for ways to implement their ambitious plans — and the Department of Commerce is planning a field trip to help them fine-tune their strategy.
“No region is better equipped than ours to meet the unprecedented global demand for equipping 40,000 new airplanes with lightweight aerospace parts that reduce carbon emissions. Within a few years, the Inland Northwest Tech Hub can have prototypes ready for high-rate production, enabling thousands of new domestic manufacturing jobs to lessen our growing reliance on foreign technology and foreign labor,” the consortium said in an emailed statement.
“Missing this opportunity will increase our reliance on foreign labor, threatening our national and economic security,” the consortium said. “We will be working on every possible opportunity to make new American jobs and supply chains a reality.”
The Spokane-based American Aerospace Materials Manufacturing Center is one of 31 consortiums that won Tech Hub designation last October as part of the Biden administration’s effort to fire up engines of innovation in places that are typically off the beaten tech track.
“Every American deserves the opportunity to thrive, no matter where they live,” Vice President Kamala Harris said in today’s announcement of the Phase 2 Tech Hub grants. She said the federal funding “will ensure that the benefits of the industries of the future – from artificial intelligence and clean energy, to biotechnology and more – are shared with communities that have been overlooked for far too long, including rural, tribal, industrial and disadvantaged communities.”
The Inland Northwest Tech Hub is backed by more than 50 organizations, most of them based in Eastern Washington and North Idaho. The Seattle area’s biggest aerospace companies, including Boeing and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin space venture, are playing supporting roles.
Spokane’s Tech Hub aims to advance manufacturing methods for thermoplastic composites, a material that’s increasingly being used to produce components for aircraft and spacecraft. The group had applied for a $72 million grant to set up a testbed for materials research and pilot manufacturing at a 386,000-square-foot facility near Spokane’s airport.
Thermoplastic carbon composites are considered more versatile and environmentally sustainable than the thermoset composites that are more traditionally employed for aerospace applications. They’re already being used to produce relatively small airplane components. “This is about being able to advance that technology to make much larger-scale parts for the next generation of a wide range of types of aircraft,” David Leach, director of business development for Idaho-based ATC Manufacturing, told GeekWire last month.
The consortium’s industry partners had pledged $8 million in matching funds to support the testbed, and members also committed themselves to making $70 million in in-kind contributions.
Two Tech Hubs based in Oregon — the Corvallis Microfluidics Tech Hub and the Pacific Northwest Mass Timber Tech Hub — were also passed over this time around. But the Economic Development Administration said it would make grants to additional Tech Hubs if subsequent funding becomes available.
The Tech Hub program was authorized in 2022 by the CHIPS and Science Act, which was championed by U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash. In a statement released after the EDA’s announcement, Cantwell said she’ll “look forward to working with the American Aerospace Materials Manufacturing Center so that Spokane gets funded in future opportunities.”
“The aerospace sector is a crucial part of the nation’s economy, providing thousands of good-paying manufacturing jobs across the country,” Cantwell said. “Spokane, and the Pacific Northwest as whole, is leading the way on next-generation innovation and technology so that America can continue to compete internationally. We are moving forward on funding efforts to further refine and clarify the importance of next-phase aerospace research and development, and will continue efforts to make sure this Tech Hub secures resources to scale this facility.”
In a news release, the Department of Commerce announced that Alejandra Castillo, the assistant secretary of commerce for economic development, will visit Spokane along with Tech Hub program director Eric Smith. They’ll work with the Spokane Tech Hub’s leaders to strengthen their strategy in the defense and commercial aerospace markets.
“I am thrilled to visit Spokane to see firsthand how this hub is not only bolstering America’s competitiveness but will ultimately ensure the industries and jobs of the future start, grow and remain in Eastern Washington,” Castillo said. The timing of the visit wasn’t immediately announced.
Here are the 12 Tech Hubs that will receive Phase 2 federal funding:
- Elevate Quantum Tech Hub: Based in Colorado and New Mexico. Focusing on quantum information technology, and led by Elevate Quantum. Estimated award amount: $41 million
- Headwaters Hub: Based in Montana. Focusing on smart photonic sensor systems, and led by Accelerate Montana. Estimated award amount: $41 million.
- Heartland BioWorks: Based in Indiana. Focusing on biomanufacturing, and led by the Applied Research Institute. Estimated award amount: $51 million.
- iFAB Tech Hub: Based in Illinois. Focusing on precision fermentation and biomanufacturing, and led by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign . Estimated award amount: $51 million.
- Nevada Tech Hub: Based in Nevada. Focusing on lithium batteries and electric vehicle materials, and led by the University of Nevada at Reno. Estimated award amount: $21 million.
- NY SMART I-Corridor Tech Hub: Based in New York. Focusing on semiconductor manufacturing, and led by the CenterState Corporation for Economic Opportunity. Estimated award amount: $40 million.
- ReGen Valley Tech Hub: Based in New Hampshire. Focusing on biofabrication, and led by the Advanced Regenerative Manufacturing Institute. Estimated award amount: $44 million.
- SC Nexus for Advanced Resilient Energy: Based in South Carolina and Georgia. Focusing on clean-energy supply chains, and led by the South Carolina Department of Commerce. Estimated award amount: $45 million.
- South Florida ClimateReady Tech Hub: Based in Florida. Focusing on sustainable and climate-resilient infrastructure, and led by the Miami Dade County Innovation and Economic Development Office. Estimated award amount: $19 million.
- Sustainable Polymers Tech Hub: Based in Ohio. Focusing on sustainable polymers, and led by the Greater Akron Chamber. Estimated award amount: $51 million,
- Tulsa Hub for Equitable & Trustworthy Autonomy: Based in Oklahoma. Focusing on secure autonomous systems, and led by Tulsa Innovation Labs. Estimated award amount: $51 million.
- Wisconsin Biohealth Tech Hub: Based in Wisconsin. Focusing on personalized medicine, and led by BioForward Wisconsin. Estimated award amount: $49 million.
