Eric Smith Visits Sustainable Polymers Tech Hub in Ohio
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Eric Smith, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy at the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA), recently visited the Sustainable Polymers Tech Hub in Ohio. This visit follows the Biden-Harris Administration’s designation of the Sustainable Polymers coalition, led by the Greater Akron Chamber, as a Tech Hub in October 2023.
The coalition’s work underscores the region’s burgeoning status as a leader in sustainable polymer technologies. Mr. Smith and leaders from the Tech Hubs Program collaborated with the Hub to refine strategies that aim to position the region as a global frontrunner in sustainable polymers. This includes advancing the production of bio-based butadiene, enhancing pilot scale testing for advanced carbon nanotube projects, expanding a liquid phase mixing process, and launching workforce development initiatives.
The Tech Hubs Program is a national initiative designed to bolster U.S. competitiveness in technologies vital to national security. The recognition of Sustainable Polymers as a Tech Hub signifies a robust commitment to developing the region’s critical technology sector and enhancing its role in global markets over the next ten years.
Gina Raimondo, Secretary of Commerce, remarked, “Sustainable Polymers Tech Hub embodies the spirit and potential of the Tech Hubs Program to take centers of excellence and make them world-class tech ecosystems through targeted investments. That’s precisely why I’ve asked Eric Smith to travel to Ohio with a team to meet with leadership and provide technical assistance on their strategy. The Tech Hubs Program is crucial to ensuring tech industries vital to U.S. economic and national security start, stay, and grow in the U.S., and that’s why I’m committed to future rounds of funding and working with lawmakers to support additional federal resources to support all of our designees.”
With a $10 billion authorization under the bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act, the Tech Hubs Program aims to enhance the capacity for Americans to innovate and advance technology sectors, resulting in the creation of new businesses and quality jobs.
For more information about the Tech Hubs program, visit TechHubs.gov.
