Wisconsin Wins $49 Million Tech Hub Grant
With a focus on personalized medicine, officials say grant will create thousands of jobs, billions in investment.
U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, second from left, participates in a 2023 event at the University of Wisconsin-Madison to call on the Biden Administration to bring a Regional Technology and Innovation Hub to the Badger State. Photo Courtesy of Senator Baldwin’s office
A coalition of 15 organizations focused on making Wisconsin a leader in personalized health care will receive a $49 million federal grant.
The White House announced the “Wisconsin Biohealth Tech Hub” is one of 12 partnerships across the country selected to receive a federal grant. Wisconsin’s partnership, led by BioForward Wisconsin, was announced as one of 31 finalists in October from 370 applications.
The Wisconsin partnership includes organizations in Madison and Milwaukee in the private, public and nonprofit sectors. It is to work in three areas: imaging/theranostics (cancer diagnosing and treating), genomic and big data/analytics. The grant, according to a press release, is to boost research, expand lab space, increase coordination, expand workforce development and increase access to capital.
State officials said the grant and tech hub partnership would “create more than 30,000 jobs in the personalized medicine sector” and “$9 billion worth of economic development in Wisconsin in the first decade.”
“Today’s announcement is proof of what we as Wisconsinites have long known: We have world-class universities, a second-to-none workforce and a thriving private sector that will drive the next wave of American innovation. Make no mistake, this investment in the Badger State will create and support thousands of good paying jobs, grow our Made in Wisconsin economy, and revolutionize health care as we know it – helping people get the care they need earlier and faster,” said Senator Tammy Baldwin in a press release announcing the grant. “Today’s announcement recognizes our state’s rich history of innovation and manufacturing and doubles down on our state’s potential to be a major player in the next chapter of an up-and-coming industry.”
Baldwin publicly advocated for the grant for the past two years. The grant was funded by the CHIPS Act and administered by the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA).
“The Phase 2 award is a pivotal opportunity for Wisconsin to demonstrate the breadth of our biohealth industry and the strength of our statewide manufacturing capabilities,” said BioForward CEO Lisa Johnson. “In Wisconsin, we excel at both innovation and execution. This EDA tech hub initiative will enable us to contribute significantly to the EDA’s goals of enhancing economic and national security, as well as maintaining our competitive edge on a global scale.”
Organizations in the partnership include the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, the University of Wisconsin System Administration, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, GE HealthCare, Rockwell Automation, Exact Sciences Corporation, BioForward Wisconsin, Employ Milwaukee, Accuray, Plexus, WRTP/BIG STEP, Milwaukee Area Technical College, Madison Area Technical College, the Madison Regional Economic Partnership and M7.
“Every American deserves the opportunity to thrive, no matter where they live. Today’s announcement that the Department of Commerce is investing $504 million in Regional Technology and Innovation Hubs across the country 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,” said Vice President Kamala Harris in a statement. “These Tech Hubs will give regions across our nation the resources and opportunities necessary to lead in the economy of tomorrow while creating good-paying jobs for American workers.”
“I’m grateful to President [Joe Biden], U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin, and our federal partners for seeing the potential and promise in Wisconsin’s biotech industry and working tirelessly to help us secure these critical investments to accelerate research, grow our workforce and economy, and continue building a multi-billion-dollar industry that supports tens of thousands of jobs across our state,” said Governor Tony Evers.
An EDA fact sheet says five projects would be implemented with the grant: the creation of a data ecosystem that accelerates the biohealth product development, the deployment of mobile health cancer screening and referral fleets in underserved communities, using AI and data techniques to integrate new technologies and prepare manufacturers for future demand for theranostics and personalized medicine, developing a workforce skilled in the components of the new technologies and “synergizing initiatives” throughout the hub.
Other winning partnerships were announced in Colorado, Montana, Indiana, Illinois, Nevada, New Hampshire, Miami, Tulsa, Akron, Ohio, New York and South Carolina. Areas of focus include quantum computing, remote sensing, biomanufacturing, corn fermentation, lithium extraction, secure electrical grid development, biofabrication and autonomous pipeline inspection.
Milwaukee remains one of 22 finalists for a $50 million manufacturing-focused EDA grant through its Distressed Area Compete pilot program. Winners have yet to be announced. Biden, in December, visited Milwaukee to announce the city’s partnership was a finalist. The application leaders are lining up approvals to develop a new building in the 30th Street Corridor.
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This is tremendous news for SE Wisconsin and I’m sure we all hope it has the desired impact. Wisconsin does not have the innovation culture of other areas with significantly more top universities that serve as “patent farms,” generating regional wealth along the way. (Wisconsin only has two Tier 1 research universities with the capacity to draw significant federal research funding–UW-Madison and UW-Milwaukee, the later of which joined those ranks only in recent years.) Cheers to MATC for being part of this Hub!
I once hoped Milwaukee could muster becoming something along the lines of a center for the “Internet of Things” with the presence of Johnson Controls and Rockwell and its historic strengths in manufacturing and engineering. Nada. I cheered when I heard of the push to become the “Freshwater Capital of the World,” but that did not develop nearly as much as envisioned. Sometimes, I seems that Milwaukee’s two biggest successes as of late have been moving corporate HQs cross-border into the city and tourism (aka, getting the rest of Wisconsin and Chicago to visit.) Definitely successes, don’t get me wrong, and valuable to the City’s image, its reality, and its bottom line. But…
Today, SE Wisconsin fawns over the announcement of a new data centers and new Amazon warehouses–welcome investments to be sure, but not the kind of tech heavy, labor intensive mega investments made in states like Ohio and elsewhere.
Let’s hope that Milwaukee receives the $50 million distressed area grant for the 30th Street Corridor. Beyond techies and university “brainiacs” (of which I am one), Milwaukee desperately needs good-paying, 21st century manufacturing jobs for what used to be called the Middle Class.