Funding available for growth partnerships

WASHINGTON – The Obama administration recently announced the $33 million Jobs and Innovation Accelerator Challenge, an initiative aimed at spurring economic growth through public-private partnerships in at least 20 regions around the country.
According to a news release, the initiative leverages existing resources from 16 federal agencies, awarding funds to regions that can demonstrate the “existence of high-growth industries” supporting economic and work force development activities.
Administration officials pointed to strong industry clusters, such as the Research Triangle in North Carolina or Silicon Valley in California, which promote robust economic ecosystems and the development of a skilled work force, both of which are critical to long-term regional success.
The initiative offers a total of $33 million in funding from three federal agencies and technical assistance from 13 additional agencies to support the advancement of at least 20 competitively selected industry clusters.
The deadline to apply to the Jobs and Innovation Accelerator Challenge is July 7. Details on the application process are available at http://www.eda.gov/InvestmentsGrants/jobsandinnovationchallenge. &#8226