Definitions
Appropriate committees of Congress
Cooperative extension services
section 3103 of title 7The term “cooperative extension services” has the meaning given the term in .
Site connectivity infrastructure
The term “site connectivity infrastructure” means localized driveways and access roads to a facility as well as hookups to the new facility for drinking water, waste water, broadband, and other basic infrastructure services already present in the area.
Venture development organization
section 3722(a) of this title1
Community development financial institution
section 4702 of title 12The term “community development financial institution” has the meaning given in .
Minority depository institution
Low population State
The term “low population State” means a State without an urbanized area with a population greater than 250,000 as reported in the decennial census.
Small and rural communities
The term “small and rural community” means a noncore area, a micropolitan area, or a small metropolitan statistical area with a population of not more than 250,000.
Regional Technology and Innovation Hub Program
In general
Awards
Administration
The Secretary shall carry out this section through the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development in coordination with the Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology.
Eligible consortia
Designation of regional technology and innovation hubs
In general
In carrying out subsection (b)(1)(C), the Secretary shall use a competitive, merit-review process to designate eligible consortia as regional technology and innovation hubs.
Distribution
Relation to certain grant awards
The Secretary shall not require an eligible consortium to receive a grant or cooperative agreement under subsection (e) in order to be designated as a regional technology and innovation hub under paragraph (1) of this subsection.
Strategy development grants and cooperative agreements
In general
The Secretary shall use a competitive, merit-review process to award grants or cooperative agreements to eligible consortia for the development of regional innovation strategies.
Number of recipients
Subject to availability of appropriations, the Secretary shall seek to award a grant or cooperative agreement under paragraph (1) to not fewer than 60 eligible consortia.
Geographic diversity and representation
In general
The Secretary shall carry out paragraph (1) in a manner that ensures geographic diversity and representation from communities of differing populations.
Awards to small and rural communities
Use of funds
Federal share
Strategy implementation grants and cooperative agreements
In general
The Secretary shall use a competitive, merit-review process to award grants or cooperative agreements to regional technology and innovation hubs for the implementation of regional innovation strategies, including regional strategies for infrastructure and site development, in support of the regional innovation and technology and innovation hub’s plans and programs. The Secretary should determine the size and number of awards based on appropriations available to ensure the success of regional technology and innovation hubs as outlined in subsection (h).
Use of funds
Workforce development activities
Business and entrepreneur development activities
Technology development and maturation activities
Infrastructure-related activities
Term
Initial performance period
The term of an initial grant or cooperative agreement awarded under this subsection shall be for a period that the Secretary deems appropriate for the proposed activities but not less than 2 years.
Subsequent performance period
The Secretary may renew a grant or cooperative agreement awarded to a regional technology and innovation hub under paragraph (1) for such period as the Secretary considers appropriate, if the Secretary determines that the regional technology and innovation hub has made satisfactory progress towards the metrics agreed to under subsection (j).
Flexible approach
In renewing a grant or cooperative agreement under subparagraph (B), the Secretary and the eligible consortium may agree to new or additional uses of funds in order to meet changes in the needs of the region.
Limitation on amount of awards
Initial performance period
The amount of an initial grant or cooperative agreements awarded to a regional technology and innovation hub under paragraph (3)(A) shall be no more than $150,000,000.
Subsequent performance period
Upon renewal of a grant or cooperative agreement under paragraph (3)(B), the Secretary may award funding in the amount that the Secretary considers appropriate, ensuring that no single regional technology and innovation hub receives more than 10 percent of the aggregate amount of the grants and cooperative agreements awarded under this subsection.
Matching required
Initial performance period
Except in the case of a regional technology and innovation hub described in subparagraph (C), the total amount of all grants awarded to a regional technology and innovation hub under this subsection in phase one shall not exceed 90 percent of the total operating costs of the regional technology and innovation hub during the initial performance period.
Subsequent performance period
Except in the case of a regional technology and innovation hub described in subparagraph (C), the total amount of all grants awarded to a regional technology and innovation hub in subsequent performance periods shall not exceed 75 percent of the total operating costs of the regional technology and innovation hub in each year of the grant or cooperative agreement.
Small and rural communities, underserved communities, and Indian Tribes
In general
Minimum threshold of rural representation
For purposes of clause (i)(I), the Secretary shall establish a minimum threshold of rural representation in the regional technology and innovation hub.
In-kind contributions
For purposes of this paragraph, in-kind contributions may be used for part of the non-Federal share of the total funding of a regional technology and innovation hub in a fiscal year.
Grants for infrastructure
42 U.S.C. 314142 U.S.C. 312142 U.S.C. 3141(b)42 U.S.C. 3144Any grant or cooperative agreement awarded under this subsection to support the construction of facilities and site connectivity infrastructure shall be awarded pursuant to section 201 of the Public Works and Economic Development Act of 1965 () and subject to the provisions of such Act [ et seq.], except that subsection (b) of such section [] and sections 204 and 301 of such Act (; 3161) shall not apply.
Relation to certain grant awards
The Secretary shall not require a regional technology and innovation hub to receive a grant or cooperative agreement under subsection (e) in order to receive a grant or cooperative agreement under this subsection.
Applications
An eligible consortium seeking designation as a regional technology and innovation hub under subsection (d) or a grant or cooperative agreement under subsection (e) or (f) shall submit to the Secretary an application therefore at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may specify.
Considerations for designation and award of strategy implementation grants and cooperative agreements
Coordination and collaboration
Coordination with regional innovation program
section 3722 of this titleThe Secretary shall ensure the activities under this section do not duplicate activities or efforts under .
Coordination among hubs
The Secretary shall ensure eligible consortia that receive a grant or cooperative agreement under this section coordinate and share best practices for regional economic development.
Coordination with programs of the National Institute of Standards and Technology
The Secretary shall coordinate the activities of regional technology and innovation hubs designated under this section, the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership, and the Manufacturing USA Program, as the Secretary considers appropriate, to maintain the effectiveness of a manufacturing extension center or a Manufacturing USA institute.
Coordination with Department of Energy programs
The Secretary shall, in collaboration with the Secretary of Energy, coordinate the activities and selection of regional technology and innovation hubs designated under this section, as the Secretaries consider appropriate, to maintain the effectiveness of activities at the Department of Energy and the National Laboratories.
Interagency collaboration
Performance measurement, transparency, and accountability
Metrics, standards, and assessment
Final reports by recipients of strategy implementation grants and cooperative agreements
In general
The Secretary shall require each eligible consortium that receives a grant or cooperative agreement under subsection (f) for activities of a regional technology and innovation hub, as a condition of receipt of such grant or cooperative agreement, to submit to the Secretary, not later than 120 days after the last day of the term of the grant or cooperative agreement, a report on the activities of the regional technology and innovation hub supported by the grant or cooperative agreement.
Contents of report
Interim reports by recipients of grants and cooperative agreements
In addition to requiring submittal of final reports under paragraph (2)(A), the Secretary may require a regional technology and innovation hub described in such paragraph to submit to the Secretary such interim reports as the Secretary considers appropriate.
Annual reports to Congress
Not less frequently than once each year, the Secretary shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress an annual report on the results of the assessments conducted by the Secretary under paragraph (1)(C) during the period covered by the report.
Authorization of appropriations
Administration
The Secretary may use funds made available to carry out this section for administrative costs under this section.
Pub. L. 96–480, § 28Pub. L. 117–167, div. B, title VI, § 10621(a)(2)136 Stat. 1642 (, as added , , .)
Editorial Notes
References in Text
Section 3722(a) of this title, referred to in subsec. (a)(4), was in the original “section 27(a) of the Stevenson-Wydler Act of 1980” and was translated as reading “section 27(a) of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980”, to reflect the probable intent of Congress.
section 308 of Pub. L. 101–73section 1463 of Title 12Section 308 of the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act of 1989, referred to in subsec. (a)(6)(A), is , which is set out as a note under , Banks and Banking.
Sections 3111 and 3122 of title 29, referred to in subsec. (c)(1)(E), was in the original “sections 101 and 107 of the Workforce Investment and Opportunity Act” and was translated as reading “sections 101 and 107 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act”, to reflect the probable intent of Congress.
Pub. L. 89–13679 Stat. 552 section 3121 of Title 42Such Act, referred to in subsec. (f)(6), is the Public Works and Economic Development Act of 1965, , , , which is classified generally to chapter 38 (§ 3121 et seq.) of Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see Short Title note set out under and Tables.
Prior Provisions
section 28 of Pub. L. 96–480section 3723 of this titleA prior was renumbered section 30 and is classified to .
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Initial Designations and Awards
Pub. L. 117–167, div. B, title VI, § 10621(b)136 Stat. 1659