Hillsborough Sun

City of Manchester issued the following announcement on December 13.

Today, Mayor Joyce Craig announced that the City of Manchester was named as a finalist for the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA)’s Build Back Better Regional Challenge. 

The Build Back Better Regional Challenge is designed to assist communities nationwide in their efforts to build back better by accelerating the economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic and building local economies that will be resilient to future economic shocks.

In partnership with the Advanced Regenerative Manufacturing Institute (ARMI), Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU), the University of New Hampshire (UNH) - Manchester, the Manchester-Boston Regional Airport (MHT) and the Manchester-Transit Authority (MTA), the City’s Build Back Better Regional Challenge application leverages New England’s investments in the life sciences and aerospace industries by anchoring two job tracks in this space: Tissue Engineering and Advanced Aerial Mobility. The proposal has the potential to create from 7,500 to 15,000 direct jobs in the region, and increase the rate of GDP growth by over 30%.

“I am thrilled the City of Manchester was named a finalist for the Build Back Better Regional Challenge, along with our partners at ARMI, SNHU, UNH, MHT and MTA,” said Mayor Joyce Craig. “Through this grant, we’ll strengthen the connections between the world-class institutions of higher education, industry, and transit that exist in our region to create high-paying jobs, comprehensive job training programs, and equitable infrastructure.”

This is the first time the City has been awarded a grant from the EDA. 

“Over the last decade, our region has become a leader in BioFabrication, fostering state-of-the-art innovations in biomaterial and cell processing, bioprinting, and automation. ARMI is honored to continue this partnership to further not only this emerging industry but our community, said Dean Kamen, Founder, Advanced Regenerative Manufacturing Institute. “I want to thank Mayor Craig for leading this application and ensuring that Manchester is a city poised for the future.”

“We are pleased to see the U.S. Economic Development Administration has shown interest in Southern New Hampshire’s Build Back Better regional challenge application,” said Steve Thiel, Assistant Vice President of Community Impact, SNHU.  “Greater Manchester is poised to benefit from these critical investments in workforce, education, and the economy, and SNHU is proud to play a leading role in expanding access to higher education for public school students in Manchester as part of this work.”

529 projects were submitted from all 50 States and five territories, with 60, including the City of Manchester, making it into the final round. Each finalist will receive approximately $500,000 to further develop their proposed projects. They will also compete for Phase 2 of the Challenge, which will award 20-30 regional coalitions up to $100 million each to implement 3-8 projects that support an industry sector. The deadline for Phase 2 is March 15, 2022.

The City of Manchester Build Back Better Regional Challenge Application contains overviews on the following projects:

BioFabrication Manufacturing Facility: Develop a facility to support the manufacturing of cells, tissues, and organs.

BioFabrication Training Facility and Innovation Center: Develop a well-trained workforce to anticipate the needs of the emerging BioFabrication cluster, and build equity in the industry by providing opportunities to underserved populations in Southern New Hampshire. Program elements include BioFabrication training programs, and veteran and career and technical education (CTE) career pathways.

BioFabrication Accelerator: Serve as an incubator for emerging therapies, translating research into a medical product ready for manufacturing.

BioFabrication Cluster Work & Learn Program: Create a program to study relevant to the BioFabrication cluster, with options to participate in industry placements. Grants will allow disadvantaged students to attend college and secure a career pathway into the BioFabrication cluster.

A Teaching Airport (MHT): Deploy workforce development programs that better integrate apprenticeship models to create the leading aerospace training program in the region.

Vertiport Logistics Network: This project would establish an organ delivery network that would serve a population of 40 million people (the Northeast U.S. & Southern Canada) by augmenting existing hospital helipads between research centers, technology parks, and manufacturing bases.

Infrastructure for Equitable Economic Growth: Construct a pedestrian crossing the Merrimack River near the Millyard and improved pedestrian and multimodal transit infrastructure improvements throughout the center city, to safely and sustainably connect Manchester’s most economically disadvantaged neighborhoods to the high-quality BioFabrication cluster jobs.

Multimodal Transit Station: Locate a multimodal transit station in close proximity to a potential passenger rail station. MTA is the only transit authority in New Hampshire, servicing the City of Manchester and nearly a dozen communities along the Capitol transportation options will ensure equitable access to industry jobs and create a sustainable path for increased job growth within an already built-out community.

Original source can be found here.