Tech Hubs Program 

Overview

May 2023
strengthen U.S. economic and national security

through place-based investments in geographically 

diverse regions across the country with a 

concentration of assets, resources, and capacity 

aligned with the potential to become globally 

competitive, within approximately ten years, in the 

technologies and industries of the future—and for 

those industries, companies, and the good jobs 

they create, to start, grow, and remain in the U.S.

Tech Hubs Program Vision

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Program Structure

Phase 1

NOFO Published May 12; Deadline to Apply Is August 15

Designation: EDA expects to designate 20+ regions as Tech Hubs; Designees invited to apply to Phase 2.

Strategy Development: EDA expects to award approximately a total of $15 million; each grant approx. $500k.

Phase 2

NOFO Expected to Publish Fall 2023

Strategy Implementation: EDA expects to make awards to approximately 5-10 consortia, with each consortium 

receiving an approximate total of $50-75 million across multiple component projects.

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Designated Tech Hubs

designation

min 20 

designees

3+ in each of 

EDA’s 6 regions

1⁄3+ benefit 

small & rural

1⁄3+ EPSCoR

1+ HQed in low 

pop. State

2+ benefit 

underserved 

communities

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What is the Tech Hubs Program?

• The Regional Technology and Innovation Hubs (“Tech Hubs”) Program is 

a new statutory authority that allows EDA to design and implement 

new programs:

PWEDA

42 U.S.C. § 3121 et 

seq.

Trade Adjustment 

Assistance

19 U.S.C. § 2341 et 

seq.

Regional 

Innovation Grants

15 U.S.C. § 3722

STEM 

Apprenticeships

15 U.S.C. § 3723

Regional 

Technology & 

Innovation Hubs

15 U.S.C. § 3722a

Recompete Pilot

15 U.S.C. § 3722b

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How did we get here?

• The Tech Hubs Program was authorized as part of the CHIPS and 

Science Act of 2022 and EDA received $500 million in appropriations in 

the FY 2023 Omnibus. EDA solicited public feedback via an RFI in 

February/March 2023 and is releasing the Phase 1 NOFO on May 12:

FY2023 

Consolidated 

Appropriations Act

P.L. 117-328

Tech Hubs RFI

Federal Register

1-mo period

Tech Hubs 

authorization

15 U.S.C. § 3722a Tech Hubs Phase 

1 NOFO

3-mo app. period

Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug

2022 2023

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Appropriation vs. Authorization

$10

billion

What we’ve been appropriated 

(i.e., the funding EDA can deploy 

for Tech Hubs as of now)

$500

million

The program’s authorization level 

(i.e., the current maximum funding 

over the full life of the program)

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Eligible Organizations 

Only Consortia Are Eligible

Each consortium must

(by statute) include

• an institute of higher ed

• a subnational or tribal 

gov

• relevant industry or firms

• econ dev orgs or similar

• labor or workforce 

training orgs

There must be strong alignment and a 

shared strategic vision among all 

consortium members.

Focus on the quality of the 

partnerships and their relevance to the 

consortium’s strategy, not on the 

quantity of participating members.

EDA encourages participation of two or 

more firms and of a labor organization in 

a consortium

Each consortium must identify a lead 

member

Applicants must have a clear plan to 

identify a Regional Innovation Officer

(RIO)

Each consortium may (by 

statute) include

• econ. dev. districts or similar

• orgs ↑ underserved pops in sci, tech, 

innovation, and entrepreneurship

• venture development orgs

• employee ownerships, financial insts., 

investment funds, CDFIs, MDIs, etc.

• K-12 & career/tech education schools

• national labs

• federal labs

• manufacturing extension centers

• Manufacturing USA institutes

• transportation planning orgs

• cooperative extension services

• orgs repping underserved communities in 

economic development

• NSF Engines award winners

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Regional Nexus

Tech Hubs build on concentrations of existing innovation assets, resources, 

and capacities aligned with the potential for global competitiveness and a 

clear market opportunity in a core technology area.

• Applicants should identify their chosen geography—one or more MSAs, μSAs, or 

a similar area—in their applications.

• However applicants define their regions, relevant and tightly interconnected 

assets, capital, R&D, labor markets, and infrastructure are critical.

• Applicants should consider their chosen geographies as the nexus of their Tech 

Hubs, but they may include assets or members outside those chosen 

geographies—e.g., in nonmetro rural areas or in partnerships with geographically 

distant but tightly mission-aligned organizations—that support the respective 

consortium’s strategy and benefit the Hub.

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Phase 1: Applications

Consortia Apply for One or Both of Designation and Strat. Dev. Grants

Designation

Consortia submit their Case for Designation, centered on 

the seven Designation evaluation criteria, explaining the 

potential of the region to emerge over the next decade as a 

self-sustainable, globally competitive region in its selected 

core technology area. 

Only applicants Designated at the conclusion of Phase 1 

will be permitted to apply for Implementation Grants under 

the Phase 2 NOFO.

Strategy Development Grants

Consortia submit their Strategy Development 

Narrative and Budget, centered on the three 

Strategy Development Grant evaluation 

criteria, proposing activities to prepare to apply 

for an Implementation Grant or for Designation 

in a future competition.

Consortia identify their geography, the consortium’s selected core technology area, and the 

Designation geographic constraints that the consortium meets.

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Phase 1: Application Structure

Consortia Apply for One or Both of Designation and Strat. Dev. Grants

Designation Only

“Our region is ready to apply for 

Implementation funding and does 

not need a Strategy Development 

Grant to further organize.”

Strategy Development 

Grant Only

“Our region has relevant assets, 

resources, capacity, and/or 

potential, but we need to do 

significantly more coordination 

and planning to be ready for 

implementation funding. We do 

not wish to apply for 

Implementation funding this 

year.”

Designation & Strategy 

Development Grant

“Our region is close to ready to 

apply for Implementation funding, 

and additional resources would 

strengthen our coordination, 

planning, and Phase 2 

application development.”

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Phase 1 Evaluation Criteria

Regional coordination & partnerships

Impact on economic and national security of the entire United States

Role of the private sector

Equity & diversity

Innovative “lab-to-market” approaches

Technology-based potential of the region for global competitiveness

Composition & capacity of the regional workforce

Designation Strategy Development

The extent to which the project will strengthen 

engagement of and collaboration among 

regional stakeholders (private, public, and 

non-profit entities, etc.), whether or not 

members of the consortium

The consortium’s organizational and 

leadership capacity, including its financial 

and management capacity

The project’s potential to increase the 

capacity of the region to achieve the 

Designation criteria

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Key Technology Focus Areas (KFTAs)

Advanced communications technology and immersive technology

Data storage, data management, distributed ledger technologies, and cybersecurity, including biometrics

Adv materials science, including composites 2D materials, other next-generation materials, and related manufacturing technologies

Biotechnology, medical technology, genomics, and synthetic biology

Natural and anthropogenic disaster prevention or mitigation

Robotics, automation, and advanced manufacturing

High performance computing, semiconductors, and advanced computer hardware and software

Adv energy and industrial efficiency tech (e.g., batteries, advanced nuclear tech) including for the purposes of electric generation

Artificial intelligence, machine learning, autonomy, and related advances

Quantum information science and technology

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KFTAs & Hub’s Core Tech Areas

KTFA #1 KTFA #2

KTFA 

#3

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▪ A consortium must select and clearly identify its selected core technology 

area within or at the intersection of one or more KTFAs
Questions?

Reach out to the Tech Hubs Program Office at techhubs@eda.gov.

Visit the Tech Hubs website at http://www.eda.gov/techhubs.

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