Images courtesy UVM.
Additional funding for the Tech Hubs program was made possible through the bipartisan FY25 NDAA passed by Congress and signed into law by President Biden.
Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Gallium Nitride (V-GaN) Tech Hub—a consortium led by the University of Vermont (UVM) and including GlobalFoundries and the State of Vermont—has been awarded $23.7M in federal funding. The investment from the U.S. Economic Development Administration is the largest research award in UVM history.
The Vermont Tech Hub will create a comprehensive technology ecosystem in the Green Mountain State and New England to drive semiconductor design and manufacturing of high-power and high-frequency gallium nitride (GaN) semiconductors. Pairing GlobalFoundries semiconductor leadership with UVM’s world-class researchers, the Tech Hub will fuel business growth and workforce development to enhance the region's and state's economic and social vitality—bringing new cutting-edge facilities and computing technology to Vermont.
The Tech Hub will train over 500 new employees in the semiconductor workspace and engage over 6,000 K-12 students across Vermont in STEM participation in the next five years.
“This $24M in federal funding for the Vermont Gallium Nitride Tech Hub solidifies UVM’s position as a national leader in research and workforce development within this critical technological field,” UVM interim president Patricia Prelock said. “We are profoundly grateful to our consortium partners—GlobalFoundries and the State of Vermont—and to our Congressional delegation for their collaboration and support in establishing the region and the state as a national hub for semiconductor innovation.”
Vermont’s Tech Hub is one of six federal hubs awarded funding in this cycle. The investment will advance innovative projects in Vermont promoting GaN semiconductor technology, economic growth, and workforce development, including:
- Advanced Design Computing Center: A cutting-edge facility offering start-ups affordable access to advanced GaN and semiconductor design tools, reducing financial risks and fostering innovation. Partnering with UVM’s Vermont Advanced Computing Center, the center will support commercial and national security applications, driving next-gen computing solutions.
- Test and Characterization Lab (TCL): Located at OnLogic in South Burlington, V-GaN’s TCL will be the only publicly accessible lab in the U.S. offering comprehensive testing and technical advice for high-power and high-frequency GaN devices. Its capabilities were developed with input from key stakeholders, including GlobalFoundries, UVM’s College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences, and smaller regional semiconductor firms.
- V-GaN Training, Innovation, Design and Engineering (TIDES): UVM’s Professional and Continuing Educationdivision will lead this major workforce development effort, offering K-12 initiatives to spark interest in GaN technologies, career pathways to increase rural access to semiconductor manufacturing jobs, and continuing education in semiconductor design, manufacturing, and GaN-specific skills. Partners include the Community College of Vermont, Norwich University, the Vermont State University System, and the Vermont Manufacturing Extension Center.
“The global demand for GaN and related semiconductor solutions is rapidly increasing, and we are determined to meet that demand,” said UVM Vice President for Research and Economic Development Kirk Dombrowski. “GaN not only holds promise for a wide range of applications in the technology space, it also provides an opportunity for V-GaN Tech Hub members to make northern New England the global leader in that space. This work benefited from the participation of more than 30 partners—including GlobalFoundries, OnLogic, Cadence, and the Vermont Center for Emerging Technologies—and represents the next generation of UVM’s land grant mission.”
Twelve companies have already committed to accelerating their product development through the V-GaN Tech Hub. The Tech Hub will make grant funding available to offset development costs for businesses owned by underserved and underrepresented populations in the semiconductor industry.
Learn more and connect with the V-GaN Tech Hub at https://vgan.tech.
“Vermont’s new Tech Hub will benefit generations of researchers, tech innovators, and manufacturing leaders. The Biden-Harris Administration’s $23 million investment in the Green Mountain State’s technological and economic future is a testament to our innovative leadership, world-renowned research institutions, and our record of excellence in manufacturing,” said Senator Peter Welch. “While serving on the Senate Commerce Committee, I advocated for the Administration to invest in the Vermont Gallium Nitride Tech Hub at the University of Vermont and am thrilled to see the Department of Commerce selected the Vermont GaN Tech Hub consortium for one of six competitive Tech Hub awards. I thank Secretary Raimondo for her commitment to expanding opportunities in zip codes large and small. With this new funding, we’ll enter 2025 celebrating jobs, innovation, and the advancement of the bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act’s mission of bolstering our nation’s supply chain and onshoring manufacturing, right here in Vermont.”
“I want to thank the U.S. Economic Development Administration for this investment in V-GaN and Vermont. Twenty-four million dollars is a tremendous endorsement of Vermont’s ability to maximize this cutting-edge technology,” said Vermont Commerce Secretary Lindsay Kurrle. “Thanks to the US EDA, the extraordinary leadership at the University of Vermont, and the expertise at GlobalFoundries, Vermont is now poised to be a world leader in GaN, fostering an ecosystem that features rapid development of chip design, prototyping, and testing that bolster our workforce, enrich our students, and attract talent from all over the world. The Agency of Commerce and Community Development is standing by to help V-GaN achieve its goals in any way we can. Gallium Nitride is the future of semiconductors and Vermont is ready, willing, and able to be at the forefront of this transition.”
“GlobalFoundries is excited that the V-GaN Tech Hub has received implementation funding from the U.S. government. Thanks to our Congressional Delegation along with the Department of Science, the CHIPS and Science Act is fostering innovation and investment and will be pivotal in bringing new essential chip technologies, like GaN on silicon, to market,” said Ken McAvey, Vice President and General Manager of GlobalFoundries Vermont. “We look forward to our continued work with UVM and our other partners in driving U.S. leadership in GaN and advancing high-volume manufacturing of this technology.”
“We have gotten to this point due to the efforts of dozens of collaborators that came together to create this proposal. In early 2023, leaders from GlobalFoundries, UVM and the state identified an opportunity for the region to benefit from the technological advancements taking place at the GlobalFoundries plant in Essex Junction,” said Doug Merrill, UVM’s Regional Innovation Officer. “Over the past 18 months leaders from technology firms, educational institutions, economic development organizations, and capital providers from around the state worked hard to create a plan to ensure that Northern New England will become a global center of excellence for high power and high frequency semiconductor development. “National firms, including Cadence Design Systems, Keysight, Siemens, Intel, and RTX, have recognized this potential and signed on as well. I’m continually humbled by the hard work that our partners have contributed to this Hub and am incredibly grateful that the EDA has selected us for implementation funding. While our excitement about the potential benefits of this funding is tremendous, it is tempered by the responsibility of ensuring that we put this investment to good use and ensure that it creates good jobs and growing businesses across our region for years to come.”
The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) announced January 14, 2025, that it plans to award approximately $210 million in implementation grants, ranging between approximately $22 million and $48 million, to six Tech Hub Designees, including $23 million to the University of Vermont, as part of a new round of funding from Congress. In addition, EDA intends to partner with the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) to extend tailored resources and personalized support to Tech Hubs. This builds on the July 2024 announcement of $504 million for 12 Tech Hubs across America, bringing the total to more than $700 million for 18 centers of excellence focused on jobs and industries of the future. UVM has been working with Essex Junction chip manufacturer GlobalFoundries to develop gallium nitride-based semiconductors.
The six latest Hubs selected for implementation grants are among the 31 Tech Hubs designated in October 2023 by President Biden to scale up the production of critical technologies, create jobs in innovative industries, strengthen U.S. economic competitiveness and national security, and accelerate the growth of industries of the future in regions across the United States.
“To out-innovate and out-build the rest of the world, we need to ensure we’re investing in America’s talent and workforce to succeed in a 21st century economy – that's how America maintains its competitive edge,” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. “The Tech Hubs Program and this latest allocation of funds are the result of bipartisan cooperation in Congress – I hope that good-faith work will endure so we can continue to invest in these centers of excellence across the nation, which in return, are providing good-paying jobs in industries of the future and helping to strengthen U.S. economic and national security.”
“We are so pleased that bipartisan support in Congress for the Tech Hubs Program will allow us to make even more impactful investments in the future of America’s economy and national competitiveness,” said Cristina Killingsworth, Acting Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development. “This implementation funding will empower the six Tech Hubs to spur technology commercialization, create jobs, attract private investment, and fortify their regional economy as a global leader in their respective technology focus.”
These new awardees, all designated Tech Hubs that have not previously received Tech Hubs implementation funds, made a strong case that with targeted investment they can advance a critical technology important to American economic and national security. This new round of awards is funded by new appropriations from the Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The NDAA also includes a provision that could provide the Tech Hubs Program additional funding of up to $280 million in the coming years.
American Aerospace Materials Manufacturing Tech Hub (Washington, Idaho)
Lead Agency: American Aerospace Materials Manufacturing Center
Technology Focus: aerospace materials manufacturing
Estimated Award Amount: $48 million
Birmingham Biotechnology Hub (Alabama)
Lead Agency: Southern Research Institute
Technology Focus: equitable AI-driven biotechnology
Estimated Award Amount: $44 million
Corvallis Microfluidics Tech Hub (Oregon)
Lead Agency: Oregon State University
Technology Focus: microfluidics
Estimated Award Amount: $45 million
Critical Minerals and Materials for Advanced Energy (CM2AE) Tech Hub (Missouri)
Lead Agency: University of Missouri System
Technology Focus: critical mineral processing
Estimated Award Amount: $29 million
Forest Bioproducts Advanced Manufacturing Tech Hub (Maine)
Lead Agency: Maine Technology Institute
Technology Focus: sustainable wood biomass polymers
Estimated Award Amount: $22 million
Vermont Gallium Nitride Tech Hub (Vermont)
Lead Agency: University of Vermont
Technology Focus: gallium nitride-based semiconductors
Estimated Award Amount: $23 million
The funding for each coalition listed above is approximate, with awards to be signed later in the winter.
In addition, EDA intends to add funding to the Builder Platform, a unique post-award support model that provides tailored resources and a high level of personalized engagement to NSF Regional Innovation Engines (NSF Engines). The Builder Platform is driving success for NSF Engines through tailored support networks, curated entry points for corporations, philanthropists, investors and other potential partners, and best practice information sharing for building successful innovation ecosystems. Through this additional funding, the Builder Platform will provide the similar support to Tech Hubs, synergizing the programs for optimal regional impact.
In July 2024, EDA awarded 12 Tech Hubs Designees with implementation grants that ranged between $19 million and $51 million, totaling $504 million. Designees that did not receive implementation grants were awarded $500,000 Consortium Accelerator Awards to continue implementing their strategies, including the pursuit of additional capital.
Prior to the NDAA, EDA’s Tech Hubs Program was appropriated a total of $541 million—a fraction of the $10 billion that was authorized by the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022, a bipartisan initiative that created the program.
The NDAA appropriates a total of up to $500 million for the Tech Hubs Program with proceeds from a spectrum auction to be run by the Federal Communications Commission. Of that amount, Commerce may currently access up to $220 million, and up to $280 million could become available in the future depending on the total spectrum auction proceeds.
Founded in 1791, UVM is the leading public research university where discovery, creativity, community, and action coalesce to secure a thriving future for people and planet. Vermont’s state flagship and land-grant university produces $260 million annually in groundbreaking research and enrolls approximately 14,000 students from 50 states and 75 countries. At UVM, students, faculty, and staff work together in pursuit of a healthier, greener future. Learn more at uvm.edu.
About the U.S. Economic Development Administration (www.eda.gov) The mission of the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) is to lead the federal economic development agenda by promoting competitiveness and preparing the nation’s regions for growth and success in the worldwide economy. An agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce, EDA invests in communities and supports regional collaboration in order to create jobs for U.S. workers, promote American innovation, and accelerate long-term sustainable economic growth.
Source: 1.14.2025. WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Commerce
To support vital journalism, access our archives and get unique features like our award-winning profiles, Book of Lists & Business-to-Business Directory, subscribe HERE!
