ALLENTOWN, P.A. – Last week, the Lehigh Valley in PA-07 filed its application to be designated as a Tech Hub: a designation that would qualify the region for $50 to $75 million in CHIPS and Science Act funding to spur semiconductor production and job growth. This is an investment that Congresswoman Susan Wild (PA-07) has been working to bring to the region since she wrote the bill establishing the Tech Hubs program—the Regional Innovation Act—that passed into law through the CHIPS and Science Act.
“I’m pushing to bring a Tech Hub to the Lehigh Valley, because this investment would have a catalytic effect on our semiconductor and technology ecosystem,” said Congresswoman Susan Wild. “With a rich legacy of advanced manufacturing and semiconductor production, we’re perfectly positioned to put the Tech Hub investment to work to drive American innovation, grow domestic semiconductor manufacturing, and bring good careers home.”
Here’s what people are saying about the Lehigh Valley consortium’s Tech Hub application and Rep. Wild’s push, as a self-described “polite yet squeaky wheel” in the ear of the Department of Commerce, to bring this investment to the region:
WDIY: “The LVEDC’s application was hailed by Congresswoman Susan Wild, who has long called for the region to be designated a hub.”
READ: “[Wild] sent a letter to Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development Alejandra Y. Castillo in support of the application. Wild outlined the Tech Hub program in the Regional Innovation Act of 2021, which she introduced. This was then passed as part of the CHIPS and Science Act.”
“Wild previously urged the Biden Administration to select the Lehigh Valley for Tech Hub in December 2022, and in May she re-upped the call, saying that the greater Lehigh Valley was “uniquely situated” for such a designation.”
Morning Call: “Wild said the idea is to help bring manufacturing back to the U.S., and spread it across the country.”
READ: “‘We are doing this country a disservice when we only have a few select areas that are creating the kinds of tech that literally makes the world go round,’ [Wild] said. ‘The original genesis of this act was to spread the wealth. Let’s not just have Silicon Valley or Austin, Texas, or the North Carolina Triangle, but let’s create hubs all over the country.’”
“‘We’ve seen it in all different kinds of areas where private/public partnerships and our economic development sector and our labor force and everybody else are able to come together to solve problems and this is, I think, the premier example of that.’”
Lehigh Valley News: “For over a year, [Wild] has pitched the Lehigh Valley as an ideal recipient of [Tech Hub] funding, citing its long history as a manufacturing sector, the abundance of local colleges and the booming transportation industry that would allow products to quickly reach almost anywhere on the East Coast.”
READ: “Wild hit on those points again in a letter supporting the consortium to Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development Alejandra Y. Castillo. The local bid would help boost economic and national security, strengthen the education system and create family-sustaining jobs, she wrote.”
“‘Designation as a Tech Hub would have a catalytic effect on the Lehigh Valley’s semiconductor and communications technology ecosystem and would offer a tremendous opportunity to leverage the EDA’s investment to achieve many of the CHIPS and Science Act goals within the coming decade,’ Wild wrote.”
Lehigh Valley Business: “The [Regional Innovation Act] was introduced by Congresswoman Susan Wild, D-Lehigh, who said she was thinking of the Lehigh Valley’s inclusion as a Tech Hub when she proposed the idea.”
READ: “‘Companies in the Lehigh Valley touch nearly every element of semiconductor development. The Lehigh Valley is part of the nation’s semiconductor history and its present. With this federal government designation, the Lehigh Valley will help the U.S. to once again lead the world in all aspects of technology.’”
“‘I’m very proud to be working with LVEDC and so many other community partners to advance this Tech Hub application, because I believe there’s no better place for a Tech Hub than the Greater Lehigh Valley,’” said Wild.”
Lehigh Valley Live: “U.S. Rep. Susan Wild said she, too, was making the case for Pennsylvania’s 7th Congressional District covering the Lehigh Valley to host one of the 20 Tech Hubs nationwide.”
READ: “The third-term Democrat representing the district had outlined the idea behind the Regional Technology and Innovation Hub Program in legislation introduced in July 2021 and which was then merged into the bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act passed last summer.”
“‘I’m very proud to be working with partners from across our community to advance this Tech Hub application, because I believe there’s no better place for a Tech Hub than the Greater Lehigh Valley,’” Wild stated Tuesday.”
The Keystone: “The application has the support of Congresswoman Susan Wild (D-Lehigh), who originally introduced the Regional Innovation Act in 2021, the measure in the CHIPS and Science Act that provides funding for the Tech Hubs.”
READ: ““When I introduced the bipartisan Regional Innovation Act in 2021 to promote and support American technological research and innovation in places like the Greater Lehigh Valley, I envisioned incentivizing collaborative partnerships between local governments, colleges and universities, private industry, non-profits, and community organizations,’ Wild wrote in her letter of support.”
WFMZ: “The Lehigh Valley is seeking to be designated as a Tech Hub for semiconductors, in particular where their production overlaps with advanced manufacturing and advanced materials sciences”
READ: “‘I’m very proud to be working with LVEDC and so many other community partners to advance this Tech Hub application, because I believe there’s no better place for a Tech Hub than the Greater Lehigh Valley,’ said Congresswoman Susan Wild.”
“‘From our strong local economy and manufacturing sector, to the collaboration among our academic, workforce development, and business and non-profit communities, we are uniquely situated to host a Tech Hub and further drive American innovation and job growth. I will continue advocating every step of the way to deliver this monumental investment for our region’s economic sector.’”
The Lehigh Valley Consortium’s Tech Hub Application
Led by the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation (LVEDC), the consortium comprised of technology industry, government, education, economic development, workforce and labor, and community partners submitted their application to be designated as a Tech Hub ahead of last week’s Phase 1 deadline of the program. Rep. Wild wrote a letter of support for the application and closely collaborated with LVEDC and partners across industry, government, education, economic development, and workforce in the region to develop the case for why the Lehigh Valley is a uniquely strong candidate for a Tech Hub.
The Lehigh Valley has a rich history of advanced manufacturing and semiconductor production that the region is perfectly positioned to build upon. Following the invention of the transistor in 1951, the region served as a global center for design, development, and production of transistors and semiconductors – and today, still hosts a thriving ecosystem of advanced manufacturing and technology industry.
Already home to numerous semiconductor technology sector companies, the Lehigh Valley is a prime location for companies of all sizes in the sector to grow their footprint and strengthen supply chains. Thanks to its academic institutions, workforce development programs, strong economic development and non-profit organizations—and the integration and collaboration already present between these entities—as well as its prime location on the Eastern seaboard, the Lehigh Valley is uniquely situated for a Tech Hub to drive American innovation and technological production, grow domestic manufacturing, and bring good careers home.
Rep. Wild’s Work to Establish the Tech Hubs Program
The Regional Technology and Innovation Hub program, administered by the U.S. Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration (EDA), was created by Rep. Wild’s Regional Innovation Act. Initially introduced in 2021 and passed into law through the CHIPS and Science Act, this bipartisan legislation authorizes the designation of 20+ Tech Hubs across the country designed to foster American technological development and innovation.
- In December 2022, Rep. Wild wrote President Biden urging the Administration to select the Greater Lehigh Valley as the site for a Tech Hub.
- In April 2023, Rep. Wild called for full funding for the newly established EDA Tech Hub program in Fiscal Year 2024.
- When the first Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) was released for the Tech Hubs program in early May 2023, Rep. Wild emphasized her commitment to work closely with regional partners in advocating for the Lehigh Valley region’s designation as a Tech Hub.
- Rep. Wild wrote a letter of support for the application, and is closely collaborating with consortium partners to advocate for a Tech Hub in PA-07.
A Fact Sheet on the Tech Hubs program can be found HERE, and more information from the Department of Commerce about Tech Hub application phases and eligibility can be found HERE.
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