EDA selects 11 recipients for STEM Talent Challenge

The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) recently announced the 11 recipients of the 2023 STEM Talent Challenge. The challenge supports programs to train science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) talent and fuel regional innovation economies across the nation. The $4.5 million competition provides up to $500,000 in funding for programs that complement their region’s innovation economy, create pathways to good-paying STEM careers, and build talent pipelines for businesses to fill in-demand jobs in emerging and transformative sectors.

The 11 awardees, selected from a pool of 90 applicants, will leverage an additional $4.7 million in matching funds from a variety of private and public sector sources. The grantees’ projects support work-and-learn programs to increase America’s STEM-capable workforce in sectors such as aerospace, biomanufacturing, cybersecurity, data science, geospatial, artificial intelligence, information technology, and advanced manufacturing.

The STEM Talent Challenge grant recipients are:

Austin Community College District (Austin, Texas

Project: STARS Training Program (Semiconductor Technician Advanced Rapid Start)

Grant Amount: $364,548

Bowling Green State University (Bowling Green, Ohio)

Project: Advancing Regional Talent in Smart Technology Enabled Manufacturing

Grant Amount: $332,828

CodePath (Atlanta, Georgia)

Project: Pathway to Tech in Atlanta

Grant Amount: $500,000

Electrical Training Institute (San Diego, California)

Project: Resilience in a STEM Economy (RISE) Program

Grant Amount: $496,693

Goodwill of Western Missouri and Eastern Kansas (Kansas City, Missouri)

Project: Bridge to Technology and Careers in Greater Kansas City

Grant Amount: $499,196

Liberty Science Center (Jersey City, New Jersey)

Project: High Schools of the Future

Grant Amount: $500,000

Middlesex Community College (Lowell, Massachusetts)

Project: Industry-Integrated Computer Aided Design Expansion Program

Grant Amount: $409,410

St. Petersburg College (St. Petersburg, Florida)

Project: Geospatial/Artificial Intelligence (AI) STEM Training Program (GSTP)

Grant Amount: $323,832

South Texas College (McAllen, Texas)

Project: STEM Registered Apprenticeship Program

Grant Amount: $283,262

University of Arkansas System (Fayetteville, Arkansas)

Project: BioAR Train Biomanufacturing Workforce Initiative (BTBWI)

Grant Amount: $493,521

Washington State University (Pullman, Washington)

Project: Washington's High-Demand Advanced Civil Engineering Workforce Development

Grant Amount: $252,933