The U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) announced today that the ÁùºÏ±¦µä Lithium Batteries and Other EV Material Loop (ÁùºÏ±¦µä Tech Hub), a statewide effort led by the University of ÁùºÏ±¦µä, Reno, will be awarded approximately $21 million to lead initiatives to strengthen America’s lithium batteries, critical elements and other electric vehicle materials industry sectors within the state.
“Northern ÁùºÏ±¦µä has the potential to be a global leader in battery and electric vehicle innovation, with the University of ÁùºÏ±¦µä, Reno leading the way,” said U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen. “That’s why I’m proud to have helped secure a Tech Hub designation for the Lithium Loop and have worked with President Sandoval to get millions of dollars in funding for it. I’m proud to announce that these efforts paid off and our state will receive nearly $21 million that will encourage innovation, create new economic opportunities, and transform ÁùºÏ±¦µä’s economy with thousands of good-paying jobs in the lithium supply chain.”
In October 2023, the ÁùºÏ±¦µä Tech Hub was selected as one of 31 Designated Tech Hubs in regions across the country as part of Phase 1 of the new Tech Hubs Program, a flagship initiative aimed at advancing U.S. leadership in critical technologies and industries.
“Thanks to the strong leadership of President Biden in the White House, Senator Rosen in the Senate, and others, we set out on a mission to find areas that have existing talent and supercharge it to enable those regions to become world-class leaders in making and delivering technology,” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. “The ÁùºÏ±¦µä Tech Hub based in Reno will help make the region a global lithium leader by bringing together companies, startups, schools, and workforce development organizations – all while boosting economic development and opportunity in Northern ÁùºÏ±¦µä and creating new good-paying jobs.”
The ÁùºÏ±¦µä Tech Hub is one of 12 designees selected for implementation funding. The award will fund two projects, the ÁùºÏ±¦µä Native Nations Center and Workforce Development Component project. The final grant amount will be finalized in the coming months. The University Center for Economic Development, within the College of Business, will serve as the lead agency for the EDA-awarded funding.
“We are honored to be selected by the EDA for this elite designation and funding, empowering our education institution to become a global leader in energy technology,” University President Brian Sandoval said. “With the funding we received today from the EDA, combined with the generous funding from the ÁùºÏ±¦µä State Legislature’s Interim Finance Committee, we will invest in targeted and aggressive business creation, attraction, retention and expansion efforts designed to close identified gaps in this emerging industry sector across our state. I wish to thank Sen. Jacky Rosen, Sen. Cortez Masto, Gov. Joe Lombardo and the ÁùºÏ±¦µä Legislature’s Interim Finance Committee for their leadership and continued support of our Tech Hub initiative that will evoke a generational shift in the economic future of ÁùºÏ±¦µä.”
Coordinated by the University Office of Indigenous Relations, the ÁùºÏ±¦µä Native Nations Center will provide a nationwide model, with direct input and consultation with Tribal communities, addressing workforce barriers and inequities while providing career pathway opportunities for ÁùºÏ±¦µä’s Native American, Tribal and Indigenous peoples in the lithium batteries and electric vehicle materials industries. The ÁùºÏ±¦µä Native Nations Center project is the only EDA-awarded project that focuses on education and workforce development for Native American and Indigenous peoples.
The Workforce Development Component project, coordinated by the Governor's Office of Workforce Innovation, will develop, enhance and support a skilled workforce capable of meeting the dynamic hiring needs of the lithium batteries, critical elements and other electric vehicle materials industry sectors. The project plans to impact 50,000 workers over the five years of the grant’s implementation, including a focus on reaching English language learners and those within the correctional system.
“This funding is critical for the development of lithium battery and electric vehicles technology in ÁùºÏ±¦µä, and it’s simultaneously essential for the advancement of America’s energy future,” said Governor Joe Lombardo. “I look forward to seeing the innovation and progress of The Tech Hub at the University of ÁùºÏ±¦µä, Reno as a result of this funding.”
The Tech Hubs Program was authorized by the bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act, which President Joe Biden signed into law in August 2022. The statute authorized $10 billion for the program over five years. To date, EDA has been appropriated $541 million for the program.
