Wisconsin is among the winners of a highly sought-after U.S. designation as a Regional Technology Hub, the Biden Administration announced Monday.
The state will now compete for up to $75 million in federal funding to develop as an industry leader in biohealth and personalized medicine.
Major Milwaukee-area employers including Rockwell Automation and GE HealthCare were involved in crafting the state's proposal. The effort was led by BioForward Wisconsin, a member organization for the state's biohealth industry, and the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp.
Various groups across Wisconsin have long sought to develop the state as a tech hub in order to boost economic development and well-paying jobs. The Regional Tech Hub designation is validation for proponents of that vision.
"It's not just the money," BioForward Wisconsin CEO Lisa Johnson told Wisconsin Inno. "It puts you on the map. It says, 'We do have strength here.'"
Wisconsin's proposal was among 31 selected from more than 370 applicants across 49 states. It focused on precision medicine and commercialization in the biohealth industry, which includes bioscience, health care and imaging, diagnostics, and digital health care, Johnson said. It also emphasized the strength of Wisconsin's manufacturing sector as it relates to those industries, she said.
"We do it all in the United States," Johnson said. "GE HealthCare manufacturers here. They're highly dependent on the Wisconsin supply chain."
Other Wisconsin employers including Accuray Inc., Exact Sciences Corp. and Plexus Worldwide LLC were also involved in the state's tech hub proposal.
Wisconsin's biohealth consortium was awarded $350,000 in a strategic development grant as part of its tech hub designation. But the major opportunity will come next as it competes for a federal grant of up to $75 million.
Biden authorized the U.S. Regional Innovation and Tech Hubs program in August 2022 as part of the U.S. CHIPS and Science Act. It's predicated on the idea that the U.S. should invest in regional tech hubs outside of the coasts.
In addition to Wisconsin's, the administration also selected four other proposals related to biotechnology and precision medicine. They were from groups in Maryland, Alabama, Pennslyvania and Minnesota. See all 31 winners here.
