US Department Of Commerce to Invest Nearly $53 Million to Boost Virginia’s Pharmaceutical Industry

On Friday, President Biden announced the Advanced Pharmaceutical Manufacturing (APM) Cluster as one of 21 winners of the $1 billion Build Back Better Regional Challenge, the American Rescue Plan administered by the US Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA). The Regional Challenge is awarding approximately $52.9 million in grants to the Advanced Pharmaceutical Manufacturing (APM) Cluster, led by the Virginia Biotechnology Research Partnership Authority (Activation Capital), to boost Virginia’s pharmaceutical industry.

With $52.9 million in funding from EDA, the Advanced Pharmaceutical Manufacturing (APM) Cluster will expand the domestic supply chain for essential medicines and critical active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). The projects funded as part of this award include expanding a nascent pharmaceutical manufacturing corridor in Central Virginia through investment in new wet lab space, development of critical infrastructure to sustain industrial capacity in Petersburg, and engagement with local business to enhance the regional pharmaceutical supply chain. The project will also catalyze a new partnership between Virginia Commonwealth University and Virginia State University to create new pathways for underserved residents to high-quality training and jobs in the pharmaceutical industry.

The Advanced Pharmaceutical Manufacturing (APM) Cluster is one of 21 winners—each a regional coalition of partnering entities—that will receive awards between $25 million and $65 million to implement an average of six integrative projects that will enable each region's economic transformation and competitiveness.

The Build Back Better Regional Challenge's other winner are:

Central Valley Community Foundation (California)
$65.1 million for the F3 – Fresno-Merced Future of Food

City of Manchester (New Hampshire)
$44 million for The BioFabrication Cluster

Coalfield Development (West Virginia)
$62.8 million for the Appalachian Climate Technologies (ACT Now) Initiative

Detroit Regional Partnership Foundation (Michigan)
$52.2 million for the Global Epicenter of Mobility

Empire State Development (New York)
$25 million for the Western New York’s Advanced Manufacturing Cluster

Four Bands Community Fund (South Dakota)
$45 million for the Mountain | Plains Regional Native CDFI Coalition

Georgia Tech Research Corporations (Georgia)
$65 million for GA-AIM

Greater New Orleans Development Foundation (Louisiana)
$50 million for H2theFuture

Greater St. Louis Inc. (Missouri)
$25 million for the St. Louis Tech Triangle

Indian Nations Council of Governments (Oklahoma)
$39 million for the Tulsa Regional Advanced Mobility Cluster

Invest Nebraska Corporation (Nebraska)
$25 million for the Heartland Robotics Cluster

North Carolina Biotechnology Center (North Carolina)
$25 million for Accelerate NC – Life Sciences Manufacturing

Oklahoma City Economic Development Foundation (Oklahoma)
$35 million for the Oklahoma Biotech Innovation Cluster Initiative

Osceola County Board of County Commissioners (Florida)
$50.8 million for the Building Central Florida’s Semiconductor Cluster for Broad-Based Prosperity

Port of Portland (Oregon)
$41.4 million for the Oregon Mass Timber Coalition

Southeast Conference (Alaska)
$49 million for the Alaska Mariculture Cluster

Southwestern Pennsylvania New Economy Collaborative (Pennsylvania)
$62.7 million for the Southwestern Pennsylvania New Economy Collaborative

The State University of New York (SUNY) at Binghamton (New York)
$63.7 million for New Energy New York

The University of Texas at El Paso (Texas)
$40 million for the West Texas A&D Cluster

Wichita State University (Kansas)
$51.4 million for the South Kansas Coalition

Click here to read Pharma Commerce's recent interview with Chandra Briggman, President and CEO of Richmond's Activation Capital.