The Pacific Northwest Mass Timber Tech Hub, which aims “to use advanced material science to develop low-carbon housing solutions,” has been left out of more than $500m in federal funding handed out by the Biden administration.
That is according to Oregon local media, which reports that the Hub, run by Oregon State University, named among 31 finalists, ultimately lost out on receiving up to $70m in funding.
An initiative of the TallWood Design Insitute, the hub was looking to build on a $41 million commitment in 2022 to expand the use of mass timber in housing as part of the Oregon Mass Timber Coalition. That saw the Port of Portland explore turning Terminal 2 at the PDX Airport, which is due to open next month, into a manufacturing hub for mass timber construction.
“Ten years ago, mass timber construction was essentially just a concept in the US, but with its collaborators and partners, the TallWood Design Institute has led the way in turning concept into reality through interdisciplinary research, education and outreach.”
Tom DeLuca, Cheryl Ramberg-Ford and Allyn C. Ford dean of the Oregon State College of Forestry,
“The Mass Timber Tech Hub will build on this, advancing the College of Forestry’s goals of equitably promoting sustainability and innovation to drive economic growth and policy change while also meeting the natural resource demands of a growing population,” according to Professor DeLuca.
Instead, the Biden administration will direct $504 million to a dozen technology hubs, including Ohio, Montana, Nevada, and Florida, instead of New York City, San Fransico, Seattle and Boston. Wood Central understands that the money would support the development of quantum computing, biomanufacturing, lithium batteries, computer chips, personal medicine, and other technologies.
“The reality is there are smart people, great entrepreneurs, and leading-edge research institutions all across the country,” according to Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo in a call previewing the announcement. “We’re leaving so much potential on the table if we don’t give them the resources to compete and win in the tech sectors that will define the 21st-century global economy.”
The money came from the Commerce Department’s Economic Development Administration and was authorized by Congress under the CHIPS Act, which has funded domestic semiconductor factories nationwide. Secretary Ramondo said the administration was pushing for more funding for the program so that all the designated tech hubs could get additional resources to compete.
The tech hubs receiving funding include:
- $41 million for the Elevate Quantum Tech Hub in Colorado and New Mexico
- $41 million for the Headwaters Hub in Montana
- $51 million for Heartland BioWorks in Indiana
- $51 million for the iFAB Tech Hub in Illinois
- $21 million for the Nevada Tech Hub
- $40 million for the NY SMART I-Corridor Tech Hub in New York
- $44 million for ReGen Valley Tech Hub in New Hampshire
- $45 million for the SC Nexus for Advanced Resilient Energy in South Carolina and Georgia
- $19 million for the South Florida ClimateReady Tech Hub
- $51 million for the Sustainable Polymers Tech Hub in Ohio
- $51 million for the Tulsa Hub for Equitable & Trustworthy Autonomy in Oklahoma
- $51 million for the Wisconsin Biohealth Teach Hub.
