EDA opens applications for STEM Talent Challenge

Key Takeaways

On April 11, the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) opened applications for its STEM Talent Challenge competition to provide funding for programs that build a robust STEM workforce in emerging and transformative sectors such as aerospace, aeronautics, biotechnology, advanced manufacturing, and cybersecurity.

EDA’s Office of Innovation & Entrepreneurship plans to award a total of $4.5 million in grants to organizations, including counties, that are creating and implementing STEM talent development strategies that complement their region’s innovation economy. Applicants may request up to $500,000 for the implementation of a 24-month program, and a 1:1 funding match is required.

Counties’ projects should expand and empower their innovation economy workforce by:

• Engaging regional entrepreneurs and innovators to assess and forecast current and future talent needs;
• Providing technical training to individuals and connecting them to opportunities to strengthen the technical and scientific workforce that regional innovation initiatives need; and
• Strengthening collaboration among entrepreneurs, industry leaders and employers, educational organizations, established corporations, economic and/or workforce development organizations, and the public sector to enable better access to skilled workers and to develop demand-driven workforce pipelines

Applications are due by June 12 at 11:59 p.m. EDT on sfgrants.eda.gov. Competitive applications will demonstrate how the program will develop or expand regional STEM workforce capacity to support entrepreneurial ventures, industries of the future, and other innovation-driven businesses. NACo will inform members when EDA establishes a date for an informational webinar on the program.