Miami-Dade seeks millions to build a regional tech research team

Miami-Dade County is rushing to compete for up to $160 million in federal support of a to-be-formed regional coalition of researchers, institutions and companies to conduct technological research that solves problems that impact the economy and society.

The funding would come from a National Science Foundation award for Regional Innovation Engines. The first 10 awards made in January ranged up to $15 million apiece. A new round of grants unveiled in April would raise payouts to up to $160 million over 10 years.

The new round also broadened the group of applicants to make state and local government agencies eligible to submit a letter of intent for such a regional project by June 18 and a short preliminary proposal by Aug. 6. Full proposals are due Feb. 11, 2025.

Now the county is scrambling to craft a coalition and a research proposal to meet the deadlines.

Commissioners last week voted 13-0 to enter the funding race based on legislation from Chairman Oliver Gilbert. The legislation offers no hint of who might be in the coalition or what proposal the group led by the county will offer.

The legislation requires Mayor Daniella Levine Cava or someone she designates to coordinate with Mr. Gilbert’s office and the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs to submit a letter of intent or funding application to the federal program to meet the deadline.

Competition is likely to be stiff, as other areas develop specific goals.

One of the inaugural award winners is from Florida: the Central Florida Semiconductor Innovation Engine, led by the International Consortium for Advanced Manufacturing Research, aims to play a critical role in supporting the nation’s capability for semiconductor advanced packaging design and manufacturing.

Other winners from this year’s earlier competition included the Great Lakes Water Innovation Engine, the Upstate New York Energy Storage Engine, the Piedmont Triad Regenerative Medicine Engine, and the North Carolina Textile Innovation & Sustainability Engine, according to Mr. Gilbert’s legislation, which did not pass through a committee hearing prior to last week’s vote and was not discussed by the commission.

In awarding the grants, the National Science Foundation “is eager to identify and invest in cross-sector regional consortia spanning state and local governments, tribal nations, other federal agencies, academia, philanthropy and private industry to expand the frontiers of technology and innovation and spur economic growth across the nation,” said Thyaga Nandagopal, divisional director from the foundation’s group that leads the Engines program. “The program welcomes proposals from all corners of our country, particularly from regions that have not fully participated in the technology boom of the past few decades.”