The Biden-Harris administration has recently introduced the Tech Hubs program in a move to support the growing tech enterprises. Through the Economic Development Administration (EDA), 31 Tech Hubs were designated across the U.S., in accordance to the President's signing it as a law in August 2022, and investing in America's agenda and the bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act.
Though these collaborative efforts involving federal, state and local governments, industry, academia, and economic development organizations reflect principles of cooperative federalism and inclusive decision-making. The program's strategic focus in investment in regional consortia showcases the government's role in promoting economic welfare. Additionally, the Tech Hubs program exemplifies the impact of legislation on policy implementation, illustrating the formal and informal powers of the presidency.
These tech hubs are now located across 32 states including the outlying addition of Puerto Rico and these hubs focus on industries like autonomous systems, quantum computing, biotechnology, precision medicine, clean energy, semiconductor manufacturing, and etc. With such a step forward, it is obvious the Biden-Harris Administration is investing in "out [innovating] and out-[competing] the rest of the world" as Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo states. Deputy Secretary of Commerce Don Graves adds how, "The Tech Hubs program is seizing that potential and investing in regional consortia that will boost U.S. manufacturing, create more good-paying jobs and bolster U.S. global competitiveness".
With steps like these, the Department of Commerce has launched a second Tech Hubs Notice of Funding Opportunity, and hopefully in the future a third will follow.
Sources:
https://www.eda.gov/funding/programs/regional-technology-and-innovation-hubs
https://www.eda.gov/news/press-release/2023/10/23/biden-harris-administration-designates-31-tech-hubs-across-america
4 comments:
It's hard to know how much innovation these tech hubs will actually spark, but it gives me a lot of hope for what the future might look like. Technology continues to be a larger and larger part of our lives, and it doesn't look like it's stopping anytime soon. This type of policy reminds me of a lot of the science and STEM initiatives that were happening around the early time of the Cold War, like the 1950s and 60s. That became a golden time for innovation and science, and while programs like the ones described in this article aren't always correlated with immediate advancements, it's always a good sign when our government is willing to invest into STEM, providing jobs that will hopefully last for generations to come.
I think these tech hubs will definitely open up more job opportunities in STEM, especially in, the tech sector. According to Crunchbase, over 190000 people have been laid off from US-based tech companies in 2023. So, I think the introduction of these tech hubs to support tech enterprises will help in improving the conditions of the current job market.
https://news.crunchbase.com/startups/tech-layoffs/#:~:text=In%202023%3A%20More%20than%20191%2C017,tech%20companies%20in%20the%20U.S.
The quote "out [innovating] and out-[competing] the rest of the world" is so interesting-- like Leo mentioned, this might be a legacy of the Cold War Space Race, only it has been broadened to tech in general. I think this, combined with the fact that "collaborative efforts involving federal, state and local governments, industry, academia, and economic development organizations" are being employed as part of this plan has helped solidify the concept that the future is STEM. Additionally, the focus on "promoting economic welfare" through what I assume is encouraging people to take on STEM-based careers also evokes the idea that the economy is transitioning towards STEM. It'll be interesting to see if there are any cultural effects.
Since a sizeable portion of us are prospective college students who are currently deciding or narrowing down our major/academic interests, I think this is of special interest to us-- naturally, STEM careers start with a STEM education, so we might see if or how students lean towards STEM more on average in the future, and what that means for jobs and the economy. Also, as a humanities kid, I'm interested in seeing how it impacts interest in the humanities!
I also think Leo and Grace’s point is very interesting about how they bring up the Cold War Space race and current innovation races around the world. This goal of “outcompeting” has been evident in US tech development, especially with the current advancements with semiconductor technology.
There is currently a large rivalry between the US and China within the semiconductor industry. Not only is the US making developments such as these tech hubs to speed up their innovation, but we have made unusual action in the last few months to hinder China’s development process and in turn benefit our economy. For example, the US has taken many steps to hinder China’s progress, barring many companies globally from sending many additional types of chip-making machines to China, unless they are to obtain a special license from the US government. The US has also been curbing sales of some deep ultraviolet lithography machines and other types of advanced chip-making equipment to China. Clearly, the US is attempting to take full control of this tech race, hindering their competitors and holding such leverage, while concurrently advancing their own development with tech hubs like these.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/20/business/economy/us-china-chip-manufacturing-asml.html
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