Hillsborough Sun

Manchester, NH – The Southern New Hampshire BioFabrication Cluster proposal, led by the City of Manchester, was selected from over 500 applicants and 60 finalists to be awarded a Phase 2 Build Back Better Grant. Coalition partners include City of Manchester, the Advanced Regenerative Manufacturing Institute, the University of New Hampshire, Southern New Hampshire University and Southern New Hampshire Planning Commission. The total award is $56,542,521, bringing $43,999,995 in federal funding from the Economic Development Administration [EDA] to the area with $12,542,521 in matching funds provided by coalition and industry partners. 

As Mayor Joyce Craig said, “this is an historic day for the City of Manchester. Through the $44,000,000 awarded to our regional coalition, we’ll not only revolutionize healthcare, but we’ll create thousands of high-paying jobs, and pathways to employment for our residents, regardless of their current level of education or training. Manchester was once the world leader in textile manufacturing, and now, thanks to this investment by the Economic Development Administration, we’ll be the world leader in biofabrication manufacturing as well.”

The goal of this funding is to make Manchester the epicenter of the biofabrication industry, and it builds on previous federal investments in ARMI | BioFab USA. As the manufacturing base in biofabrication grows, a significant portion of the jobs created will be for non-degreed, biofabrication and quality technicians. The coalition’s efforts are estimated to create ~7,000 direct jobs and ~37,250 total jobs across Southern New Hampshire over the next seven years. To make sure residents are not left behind as the industry grows, the largest programmatic funding is allocated to removing barriers and providing pathways to good-paying jobs to local workers, especially those from low-income households, veterans, and other underrepresented or underemployed groups.

“Today is a momentous occasion because this award helps to secure Manchester and the region as the destination for biofabrication,” said Dean Kamen, Executive Director & Chairman of the Board, ARMI. “Together, we are building an industry that will transform the way we deliver health care in this country and around the world.”

“We are thrilled the U.S. Economic Development Administration has chosen the City of Manchester as a Build Back Better regional challenge winner,” said Paul LeBlanc, President and CEO, Southern New Hampshire University. “As Manchester's Millyard moves into its next phase of evolution, SNHU and other higher education partners are committed to making sure everyone in the community has access to high-quality education, workforce training, and family-sustaining jobs to build a more vibrant community for all."

The anchor for spawning the local manufacturing growth in Manchester is a facility that will pilot clinical and commercial manufacturing in one of the renovated mill buildings. This manufacturing capability will support emerging innovations in tissue engineering. Additionally, the BioFab Startup Lab will provide resources including space to emerging startups bringing cell, tissue, and organ therapies to market as well as those commercializing enabling technology across the manufacturing supply chain. Finally, a Vertiport, will be erected at the Manchester Armory for aerial transportation of cells, tissues, and organs to regional clinical sights via electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) planes.

The Build Back Better Regional Challenge [BBBRC] is part of the American Rescue Plan Act [ARPA] funding administered by the Economic Development Administration within the US Department of Commerce. BBBRC was designed to spur regional economic growth and competitiveness through technology-based development, job creation, capacity building and attracting private investment. These awards are made to help regional economies recover from the pandemic, build economic diversity and resiliency, mitigate impacts of future economic disasters, and benefit residents through creation of high-quality jobs, increased wages, and revitalized communities.

Coalition partners will brief the local community at an upcoming press conference to provide more details on the projects and impact this grant will have on the local economy and workers.

Original source can be found here.