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A bill before Congress would allocate $7.5 million to a series of economic development projects in the biohealth industry.
MADISON (WKOW) — A group of Wisconsin businesses, organizations and organizations is working to secure tens of millions of dollars in federal investment in the biohealth industry from the federal government, and is encouraging the state to do the same. I’m thinking of getting it.
A bill before Congress would allocate $7.5 million to a series of economic development projects.
In late October, Wisconsin was designated a Tech Hub by the Economic Development Authority (EDA), an honor that comes with $50 million to $75 million to foster growth in the state’s biohealth industry.
Now, leaders of the Wisconsin Technology Hub Consortium are focused on the Feb. 29 deadline to apply for Phase 2 funding from the federal government.
The EDA estimates that 5 to 10 of the 31 technology hubs nationwide qualify for Tier 2 status.
These hubs will be eligible for additional grants from EDA that could total $150 million, including Phase 1 funding.
BioForward CEO Lisa Johnson wants Wisconsin to take control of the future by pursuing these funds.
“This technology hub gives us the opportunity to define ourselves, not let others define who we are,” she said.
Johnson is helping lead a consortium in Wisconsin that includes the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation.
“Our proposal has to be built around projects, and we expect to submit about eight projects,” Johnson said. “And those fall into the workforce supply chain, technology and entrepreneurship categories.”
But she must be careful about giving away further details.
“It’s like a football coach handing his playbook to another coach and saying, ‘Hey, this is all we’re doing,'” she said.
Thirty other tech hubs are competing with Wisconsin for federal funding. Johnson knows they’re watching Wisconsin as much as Wisconsin is watching them.
“We read their stories from stage one,” she said. She said, “We heard some of them talking. We looked at their press releases.”
A bill introduced this week by state lawmakers seeking co-sponsorship to match some of the second phase’s federal funding offers some hints.
The bill would fund three projects. The first is the “Clinical Workflow and Supply Chain Support Center for Image-Guided Therapies and Therapeutics,” as outlined by the Legislative Reference Bureau.
If passed, the bill would expand Madison’s Forward BIOLABS, a co-working space for science companies. Coworking facilities often help incubate startups. The bill would also help support a new BIOLABS location in Milwaukee.
The proposal also includes provisions to “develop apprenticeship programs” and provide “assistance to Wisconsin manufacturing and supply chain companies,” according to the Legislative Reference Bureau.
Prime Minister Johnson is working hard to get the bill passed by the filing deadline to encourage Wisconsin’s submission.
“This industry (biohealth) is about Wisconsin,” she said. “Let’s go compete, let’s get this issue passed.”
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