Federal Announcements

The U.S. Department of Energy announced an additional $9 million investment in the Industrial Training and Assessment Centers (ITAC) Implementation Grants program. This funding would support 47 small- and medium-sized manufacturers across the country to implement a wide variety of energy and efficiency projects, including installing onsite solar and heat pumps, improving lighting and heating, and electrifying industrial equipment and fleets.

The U.S. Department of Energy today announced $40 million in investments across the solar energy supply chain, including the selection of four projects to improve the lifecycle of photovoltaic solar systems. These investments will support the Biden-Harris Administration’s efforts to boost domestic manufacturing and competitiveness while reducing waste and improving sustainability of solar technologies.

The Department of Defense announced a $25.8 million award to Honeywell in Plymouth, Minnesota to produce or acquire trusted strategic radiation-hardened microelectronics. The funds will be used for strategic radiation-hardened microelectronics fabrication via a Defense Microelectronics Activity-accredited manufacturing process and support 90nm technology development in Honeywell's Minnesota microelectronics foundry.

Artificial Intelligence is transforming research, education, manufacturing and everyday life. To prepare the next generation of talent for a diverse, well-trained AI workforce, the U.S. National Science Foundation directorates for Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) and STEM Education launched the NSF EducateAI initiative. This program aims to make state-of-the-art, inclusive AI educational experiences available nationwide.

The Biden-Harris Administration announced that the Department of Commerce and HP Inc. have signed a non-binding preliminary memorandum of terms (PMT) to provide up to $50 million in proposed direct funding under the CHIPS and Science Act. The proposed funding would support the expansion and modernization of HP’s existing facility in Corvallis, Oregon, which is part of the company’s “lab-to-fab” ecosystem in the region.

The Biden-Harris Administration announced that the Department of Commerce and HP Inc. have signed a non-binding preliminary memorandum of terms to provide up to $50 million in proposed direct funding under the CHIPS and Science Act. The proposed funding would support the expansion and modernization of HP’s existing facility in Corvallis, Oregon, which is part of the company’s “lab-to-fab” ecosystem in the region that spans from R&D activities to commercial manufacturing operations.

The U.S. National Science Foundation announced a five-year investment of $104 million, with a potential 10-year investment of up to $208 million, in four new NSF Engineering Research Centers to create technology-powered solutions that benefit the nation for decades to come. The new centers will develop technologies to tackle the carbon challenge, expand physical capabilities, make heating and cooling more sustainable and enable the U.S. supply and manufacturing of natural rubber.

The Department of Defense recently announced seven additional awards to bioindustrial firms via the Distributed Bioindustrial Manufacturing Program (DBIMP). This announcement brings the DBIMP to 13 awards to date totaling $23 million.

The Biden-Harris Administration announced that the U.S. Department of Commerce and Texas Instruments (TI) have signed a non-binding preliminary memorandum of terms (PMT) to provide up to $1.6 billion in proposed direct funding under the CHIPS and Science Act to strengthen domestic supply chain resilience, advance our national security, and bolster U.S. competitiveness in current-generation and mature-node semiconductor production.

The U.S. Department of Energy, through the Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains, announced $50 million for six states with significant automotive workforces to help small- and medium-sized suppliers adapt manufacturing facilities for the electric vehicle supply chain, helping to maintain good-paying, union jobs in traditional auto communities.