ED Now

EDA is now accepting applications for the FY23 STEM Talent Challenge. Applications are due June 12. The FY23 STEM Talent Challenge will award $4.5 million in grants to strengthen regional innovation economies by building a robust STEM workforce in high-growth sectors such as aerospace, aeronautics, biotechnology, advanced manufacturing, and cybersecurity. Eligible applicants include EDOs, cities, counties, states, Tribal Nations, nonprofit organizations, public-private partnerships, institutions of higher education, federal laboratories, and science and research parks. Applicants should demonstrate how they will develop or expand regional STEM workforce capacity to support entrepreneurship, innovation, and industries of the future.

At a strategy briefing on the CHIPS Act hosted by NIST, representatives from the U.S. Department of Commerce expressed growing excitement as the procurement process begins to heat up. As senior advisor Sree Ramaswamy put it, “It is impossible to overstate that this is our most ambitious program in the past 80 years.” The CHIPS Act is an enormous funding package that is attempting to boost domestic research and manufacturing of semiconductors. It has $280 billion in total funding and profound implications for economic developers looking to invest in American manufacturing. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo praised the package in an opening statement, emphasizing the sweeping ambition and national security implications of the ...

Michael Harris, CEcD, EDP, executive director of New Haven (Conn.) Innovation Collaborative, is part of the first cohort of certified Entrepreneurship Development Professionals. IEDC’s EDP credential is designed to build capacity for those supporting entrepreneurship in their communities, and demonstrates the skills and expertise to lead communities through entrepreneurship-led economic development (ELED). Harris has headed the New Haven Innovation Collaborative since 2018. NHIC catalyzes growth in technology and fosters entrepreneurship by building a collaborative work and research environment. Anchored by Yale University, Southern Connecticut State University, and the University of New Haven, the city has a strong talent pool in ...

Q&A with Gina Gonzalez, economic development director for the City of Menifee (Calif.): How did the City of Menifee adapt to support the community during the pandemic? We have a remarkably resilient community—the city lost only 6 percent of its business during the closures. Menifee still has more traffic and longer lines than neighboring cities due to the support it receives. The City of Menifee responded immediately to the pandemic thanks to the pre-planning done beforehand which made the transition very smooth—virtual front counter and permit services, a zero-stop shop for development, and having the technology to develop a virtual customer experience. The team developed award-winning programs and services that even the ...

Leaders in the innovation and technology space are stepping up to tackle staggering disparities for BIPOC and low-income communities by increasing the number of regional technology hubs, including current proposals in Congress to implement large-scale federal R&D funding for Midwestern and Southern metro centers. A recent Brookings webinar titled Leveraging Regional Tech Hubs to Advance Racial Equity discussed additional solutions to these disparities such as upscaling BIPOC talent and targeting companies to invest in their location’s talent base. From 2005 to 2017, five metro areas—Boston, San Francisco, San Jose, Seattle, and San Diego—contributed more than 90 percent of the U.S. innovation sector’s growth. ...

The U.S. Small Business Administration’s HUBZone program is partnering with its Office of Investment and Innovation to award more than $5 million in cash prizes to organizations working with new or existing HUBZone firms in STEM and R&D fields to boost procurement success. The SBA is seeking proposals from innovation-focused entrepreneur support organizations (ESOs) that outline programs to speed the launch, growth, and scale of deep-tech small businesses across the country. Applicants should submit a 12-slide deck and a 90-second video addressing one of the following tracks by 4 p.m. Eastern Time on Friday, July 2: Growth Accelerator Fund – Prizes of $50,000 will be awarded to provide assistance to STEM and R&D ...

IBM is embarking on a multiyear collaboration with historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) to develop a diverse quantum computing workforce. The IBM-HBCU Quantum Center will provide a network of 13 schools with access to IBM quantum computers via the cloud, educational support for students learning open source software development, and funding for undergraduate and graduate research. Schools participating in the program include Clark Atlanta University, Howard University, Morehouse College, and Texas Southern University. In addition, IBM will be donating $100 million in technology and resources, including guest lectures, curriculum content, digital badges, software, and faculty training, to a separate cohort of HBCUs. "We ...

“Diversity is more than just a buzzword, it’s at the root of innovation and technological advancement,” says Dr. Gary May, chancellor of the University of California, Davis, and national commissioner of the Council on Competitiveness. “Without diversity we see design flaws and innovations that omit women and people of color.” May points to airbags designed for men and automatic faucets and soap dispensers designed to recognize lighter skin tones as examples of innovations without inclusion in mind. Other products that were historically designed without a diversity perspective include crayons, bandages, hair and beauty products, clothing, and eyeglasses. May emphasizes the need to grow diversity in the ...