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Office of Public Engagement Monthly Newsletter - March 2023 |
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Welcome to the March 2023 edition of the Office of Public Engagement’s monthly newsletter!
For inquiries, please email BusinessLiaison@doc.gov
Deputy Secretary of Commerce Don Graves Visits Belgium and Croatia
“Continued economic cooperation between the US and the EU is essential to ensuring that democracies prevail against authoritarians and malign actors.” - Deputy Secretary Don Graves
Deputy Secretary Don Graves visited Belgium to meet with Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, to discuss cooperation between the US and the EU regarding European energy security, the need to continue enforcement coordination, and export controls to counter Russia’s war on Ukraine. While in Belgium, Graves also celebrated the US and EU economic alliance at the CEPS Ideas Lab, a leading think tank in Brussels that debates EU affairs.
During his visit to Croatia, Deputy Secretary Graves met with Jennifer Granholm and participated in the Partnership for Transatlantic Energy and Climate Cooperation (P-TECC). There, he emphasized the need to collaborate with the private sector to develop clean tech in order to both encourage economic growth and reduce carbon emissions.
To read more about the Deputy Secretary’s trip, click here.
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“This is an optimistic time for US-India relations. . .we are making excellent progress in bringing our countries closer together.” - Secretary Raimondo
Secretary Gina Raimondo traveled to New Delhi, India in early March to participate in the US-India Commercial Dialogue and CEO Forum with public and private sector leaders. On March 10, Secretary Raimondo and Piyush Goyal, India’s Minister of Commerce and Industry, announced a US-India Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to establish a Semiconductor Supply Chain and Innovation Partnership. The MOU will focus on clean energy and semiconductor supply chains.
Secretary Raimondo also met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss the US-India CEO Forum and US-India Commercial Dialogue. At the forum, she reiterated how important the US and India relationship is to the Biden-Harris Administration and stated that there are several opportunities to strengthen commercial ties between the two countries. The Secretary’s trip to India follows a successful Indo-Pacific Economic Framework negotiating round in New Delhi. More details on the trip here.
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“To revitalize our technology and manufacturing sectors, we need to start with training and inspiring the next generation of engineers and scientists.” - Secretary Raimondo
Secretary Raimondo traveled to Austin, Texas to visit Austin Community College (ACC) to see the ways in which the school is equipping students with the skills to take on manufacturing jobs in the future. She also spent her time in Texas hosting a roundtable with local businesses and leaders to discuss US national security and creating more domestic jobs with the CHIPS and Science Act.
Prior to the Secretary’s trip to Texas, the Department of Commerce announced the first funding opportunity related to the CHIPS and Science Act. This opportunity is specifically for commercial manufacturers looking to build new domestic production facilities. To read more about this funding opportunity, click here. To learn more about the Secretary’s trip to Austin, click here.
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To help track gender disparities in the labor market, the Department of Commerce’s Office of the Undersecretary for Economic Affairs (OUSEA) announced a new spotlight tool on women and the labor force. The dashboard will be updated every month along with data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Read more and stay up to date here.
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As part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s Investing in America tour, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo and Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information Alan Davidson traveled to Hickory, NC to celebrate the announcement of new fiber optic cable production in the U.S. made possible by the Administration’s Internet for All Initiative.
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law requires the use of Made-in-America materials and products for federally funded infrastructure projects including high-speed Internet deployment in America. As a result, two key manufacturers near Hickory, North Carolina announced new investments and partnerships. The announcement builds on the work the Biden-Harris Administration has already done to bring affordable, high-speed Internet to nearly 17 million American households since the President took office.
Over the next three weeks, the Investing in America tour will visit over 20 states to highlight how President Biden’s economic agenda is unleashing a manufacturing boom, strengthening U.S. supply chains, creating good-paying jobs, and expanding economic opportunity across America. More here.
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The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy released a new report, Bold Goals for U.S. Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing: Harnessing Reasearch and Development to Further Societal Goals. This follows an Executive Order that President Biden signed in September 2022 to advance biotechnology and biomanufacturing innovation for a sustainable, safe, and secure American bioeconomy.
The Department of Commerce’s section of the addresses three main themes: alternative supply chain pathways via biotechnologies and biomanufacturing to promote economic security, biomanufacturing innovation to enhance supple chain resilience, and standards and data infrastructure to support biotechnology and biomanufacturing commercialization and trade. If put in place, we could solve critical supply chain issues and ensure that Americans have access to critical goods when they need them, while strengthening the bioeconomy. Read the fact sheet here, or explore the full report here.
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Included in the Biden-Harris Administration’s Unity Agenda, the MSCAP is a 12-week fellowship from the Department of Defense to support military spouses. This program is at no cost to employers, and employers receive the benefits of a diverse and skilled workforce and recognition opportunities. The MSCAP is part of the President’s plan to provide high-quality job training to veterans and their spouses.
Read more about the MSCAP here. Learn more about the Biden-Harris Unity Agenda here.
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The Department of Commerce put forth a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for guardrails included in the CHIPS Incentives Program to protect national security and ensure that technology funded by the CHIPS and Science Act is not used by adversaries for malign purposes. Read more here, and take the quiz below to see how much you know about the CHIPS and Science Act.
Test your knowledge of the CHIPS and Science Act below, but first, watch a
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QUIZ: How Much Do You Know About the CHIPS and Science Act?
1. In what year was the CHIPS and Science Act passed?
a) 1959
b) 2021
c) 2022
d) It will be passed in 2023
2. While the CHIPS and Science Act has many goals, its main goal is to strengthen domestic ___ manufacturing
a) Hard drive
b) Potato chip
c) Semiconductor
d) Circuit board
3. Today, the United States produces about __% of the world’s semiconductors
a) 10%
b) 20%
c) 30%
d) 40%
4. Applicants who request funding of over $150 million (through the first CHIPS funding opportunity) are required to provide what for their facility and construction workers?
a) Increased paid time off and paid sick leave
b) Affordable childcare on or near the jobsite
c) Access to college classes/job training
d) Increased paid parental leave
5. Semiconductors are used to power which of the following?
a) Fighter jets
b) Light switches
c) Smartphones
d) All of the above
CORRECT ANSWERS: 1- c) 2022, 2- c) semiconductor, 3- a) 10%, 4- b) affordable childcare on or near the jobsite, 5- d) all of the above
To stay up to date on the latest CHIPS-related developments and funding opportunities, click here, and read the interview below with Fayrouz Saad, the Director of Public Engagement for CHIPS for America.
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Bureau Spotlight: Fayrouz Saad
Director of Public Engagement: CHIPS Program Office (CPO)
Q: What is your role/title? What do you do?
A: I am the Director of Public Engagement in the CHIPS program office. My job is to coordinate outreach and engagements on behalf of the office with external audiences - both organizations and associations - that are impacted by CHIPS in some way. Examples could be national security organizations and leaders, workforce development actors, progressive groups, childcare advocates, etc. It's been incredible engaging with such a diverse group of impacted stakeholders. At the CHIPS Program Office, we’re happy to serve as the experts and first point of contact as it relates to having meetings, briefings, events, and engagements on CHIPS.
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Q: How did you come to this work?
A: Before I joined the Department of Commerce, I was already serving in the Biden-Harris administration at USAID. Before that, I was working on workforce development and economic development issues in Michigan, particularly within the space of economic integration. As I was looking for my next adventure, I was looking for somewhere in the federal government where there are exciting things happening at the forefront of administration priorities, relating to economic and workforce development. This position within the CHIPS program office presented itself, and I knew right away that this is what I wanted to do. It was all the things that I was looking to be involved in and so much more. This program will have an exponential impact at so many levels for so many people. And coming from a governor's office, and before that a mayor's office, I have this firsthand experience of seeing how programs and policies like this can impact people who live in America directly.
Q: What does the application process look like for the recently rolled out CHIPS program? What is the timeline?
A: The application is more iterative than your usual government grants program application. On February 28, we released our first NOFO, the first of three. It focuses on commercial leading edge current and mature node fabrication facilities. Applicants are welcome to submit statements of interest. In the late spring, we will release the second NOFO focusing on materials suppliers and equipment manufacturers. In the fall will be the third NOFO, which will be to support the construction of semiconductor R&D facilities.
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Q: What else should the stakeholders know about the work that your team does and the CHIPS program?
A: The broader impacts of the program will strengthen America's global competitiveness, the economy, and national security. This program came together with the input and expertise of a number of external audiences and stakeholders, from industry and private sector, workforce development experts, state and local governments, labor leaders, and more. A fundamental piece of this program is looking at how to ensure we are training and attracting the necessary talent for this industry by looking at what the needs of workers are, and as such, there are incredible workforce strengthening childcare components.
Q: How would you encourage readers to collaborate? Is there a primary email/phone number where your bureau can be contacted?
A: Everyone should feel free to reach out with any questions to our email at Askchips@chips.gov.
I encourage people first to go to the website chips.gov as it has all the information you need in one spot. On the website, you can opt to join the mailing list, or request a meeting or participating in events or conferences. If there's questions about the CHIPS incentives program specifically, you can contact us at apply@chips.gov.
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Grant Opportunities Preview
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Building Capacity for Environmental Literacy
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Apr 03, 2023. Applicants must notify NOAA of their intent to apply by March 3, 2023.
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Geospatial Modeling Grant
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ITA Market Development Cooperator Program (MDCP)
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CHIPS Incentives Program – Commercial Fabrication Facilities
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To view all available funding opportunities across the Biden-Harris administration, click here:
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