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HELENA, Mont.—The Headwaters Technology Hub, a broad regional consortium of private, public, and academic partners led by the Montana Chamber of Commerce, Montana Department of Commerce, and the Montana University System submitted a Phase I application on August 15th in pursuit of the U.S. Department of Commerce and Economic Development Administration’s Regional Technology and Innovation Hubs competition, as part of the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022.
The Headwaters Technology Hub seeks one of at least 20 Tech Hub designations nationally, and separately a strategy development grant. Funds come from the $500 million FY2023 Congressional appropriation to launch the program. This investment focuses on strengthening our national defense, critical resource management (including water, agriculture, and mining), industrial equipment and construction processes, infrastructure development, and natural disaster mitigation.
"The Montana Chamber serves as the bridge between local innovation and national technological advancement by fostering collaboration and creating opportunities between our businesses, government agencies and research institutions,” said Todd O’Hair, President & CEO of the Montana Chamber of Commerce. “Our deep understanding of the state’s economic landscapes uniquely positions us to champion this initiative to drive growth, job creation, and technological leadership, and to propel the nation towards a more resilient and competitive future, with our region leading the way.”
"In a rural region like ours, we sometimes overlook the power of our collaboration and cooperation as a competitive advantage,” said Montana Department of Commerce Director Scott Osterman. “As Montanans, we build coalitions across government, industry, and university partners effectively and efficiently. This dedicated and focused team approach with common goals and a growth mindset has guided the Tech Hub consortium’s work to seek this opportunity for future generations.”
Montana’s existing optics and photonics centers of excellence have well-established R&D, entrepreneurial ecosystems, workforce training programs, and commercialization. Led by the Optical Technology Center (OpTeC) at Montana State University, the Montana Photonics Industry Alliance, and AccelerateMT at the University of Montana, the Headwaters Technology Hub will further increase the application of the core technologies with critical partners to solve global challenges and create new opportunities to engage with underserved and rural populations across the Rocky Mountain and northern plains region.
“Montana’s research universities conduct groundbreaking research and advance cutting-edge technologies that improve lives and communities across the state,” said Clayton Christian, Montana Commissioner of Higher Education. “With a tech hub designation, we can expand our efforts even further for the benefit of Montana, the region, and beyond.”
The consortium applauds the bipartisan support from Montana’s federal delegation members, Senator Jon Tester (D) and Senator Steve Daines (R). Senator Tester wrote the provision in the CHIPS Act to make rural states like Montana have Tech Hub funding opportunities.
“We appreciate the intense program management efforts by so many that produced the submission of our best proposal for the Headwaters Tech Hub,” Director Osterman added.
The state-wide and regional coordination for this competition was led by Mary Craigle, Bureau Chief of Research and Information Systems, and her team at the Montana Department of Commerce, together with Joe Thiel, Interim Deputy Commissioner of Academic, Research & Student Affairs, at the Montana University System. Other key contributors include Paul Gladen, Associate Vice President of Research & Economic Development, University of Montana and Director, Accelerate Montana; Joe Shaw, Director of the Optical Technology Center at Montana State University; Dustin deYong, Freestone Consulting; and Matt Olson, Director of Network Development, Montana Chamber of Commerce and many more!
Phase 1 Designation and strategy grant awards are expected to be announced in the Fall of 2023.
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