The consortium of more than 100 regional organizations has officially submitted its bid for $80 million in federal EDA Tech Hubs funding for the Philadelphia region, according to a staff report from the City & State Pennsylvania.

This just the first step in the process, according to stakeholders.

“The ultimate goal – besides jobs, obviously – is to build global competitiveness in our relevant tech sector, over 10 years,” said Tony Green, chief scientific officer at Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern Pennsylvania.

It took four months to build the proposal. Applicants will be notified this summer whether they won the money. According to Green, the local projects focused on precision medicine, would start in early September.

The efforts to get the funding started last fall, when the bid for the Greater Philadelphia Region Precision Medicine Tech Hub was selected by the US Economic Development Administration.

That made Philadelphia one of 31 regions that can compete for implementation grants. Up to ten tech hubs will receive grants from the $541 million pot.

Out of the requested 80 million, the consortium is asking for $75 million from the EDA and has already received $9 million in matching funds.

Read more about the Philadelphia region’s bid for EDA Tech Hubs funding in the City & State Pennsylvania.

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