Press Releases

WILMINGTON, Del. – Today, U.S. Representative Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), alongside U.S. Senators Tom Carper and Chris Coons (both D-Del.), announced that the PROPEL Tech Hub, which includes Delaware, was awarded a $500,000 Consortium Accelerator Award from the Biden-Harris Administration through the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA). This funding will allow the Tech Hub, which is led by the Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern Pennsylvania, to build momentum toward shaping the region into a global leader in end-to-end precision medicine. Last year, Blunt Rochester, Carper, and Coons announced that the Greater Philadelphia Region received designation status as a Tech Hub.

“The states that are included in the PROPEL Tech Hub – Delaware and our regional partners – have the ability to change the world through cutting-edge medicines and technologies,” said Rep. Blunt Rochester, member of the House Health Subcommittee. "This funding will help us access even greater resources to strengthen our research and development, manufacturing, and innovation capabilities while growing our economy and expanding our state’s life sciences and biotechnology workforces. I am proud to have worked alongside Senator Carper and Senator Coons as well as the Biden-Harris Administration to secure this investment to advance the future of PROPEL."

“Investing in medical innovation is good for patients and good for our economy,” said Senator Tom Carper. “Thanks to the CHIPS and Science Act, the PROPEL Tech Hub will receive $500,000 to make cutting-edge technological investments and encourage collaboration all while creating good-paying jobs in our region. I call that a win-win-win!”

“The CHIPS and Science Act led to more investment in manufacturing and economic competitiveness, which improves our national security, lowers costs on major purchases for working families, and strengthens economic outcomes,” said Senator Chris Coons. “The Biden-Harris Administration’s leadership on advancing America’s technological innovation and their support for the Delaware congressional delegation’s efforts to create greater opportunities for the First State will only lead to our increasing impact on the world stage, like this PROPEL Tech Hub.” 

“The Biden-Harris Administration is working to build world-class ecosystems across the nation that will advance America’s global leadership in technologies of the future, catalyze the creation of good jobs, and strengthen U.S. national and economic security,” said Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development Alejandra Y. Castillo. “These Consortium Accelerator Awards demonstrate the level of excellence every designee embodies and will enable Tech Hubs to not only keep up their momentum, but also leverage their coveted designation to attract additional collaboration and capital.”

The program is a flagship initiative of the Biden-Harris Administration’s Investing in America agenda, supporting regional efforts to scale up the production of critical technologies, such as semiconductors, quantum computing, autonomous systems, biotechnology, clean energy, critical minerals, innovative materials and advanced manufacturing.

The Tech Hubs Program was authorized by the bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act, which President 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. If subsequent funding becomes available, EDA plans to invest in additional Tech Hubs, keeping this innovative program’s momentum going for decades to come. Read more about the Tech Hubs program at TechHubs.gov.

###