RESOLUTION NO. 240200, AS AMENDED
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Sponsor: Mayor Quinton Lucas
RESOLUTION - Expressing the Mayor and Council's support for the application to the U.S. Economic Development Administration's Regional Technology and Innovation Hubs (EDA Tech Hubs) program; directing the City Manager to develop a plan for funding a portion of the local match requirement for the grant, should the application be successful; and developing a funding plan to prioritize the inclusion of BIPOC communities, minority owned businesses, and federally recognized Justice 40 communities.
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WHEREAS, the EDA designated the Kansas City Inclusive Biologics and Biomanufacturing Consortium (KC BioHub) as a Tech Hub in 2023; and
WHEREAS, Kansas City was one of only 31 cities nationally to receive a Tech Hubs designation out of more than 350 applicants, showing the potential for rapid growth in employment and production in this critical sector; and
WHEREAS, the KC BioHub consortium is led by BioNexus KC and includes the city of Kansas City and over 100 regional business, philanthropic, educational, and government institutions; and
WHEREAS, the consortium led by BioNexus KC is currently working on an application for Phase 2 of the Tech Hubs program at the EDA, which, if successful, will result in $40-$70 million of federal grant funding to grow the local biologics and biomanufacturing industry in Kansas City; and
WHEREAS, that $40-$70 million grant program is likely to catalyze hundreds of millions of follow-on investments from the private sector; and
WHEREAS, if awarded, the grant will fund substantial new infrastructure and programmatic investments in Kansas City, benefiting neighborhoods, residents, businesses, educational, and workforce institutions; and
WHEREAS, efforts surrounding the grant have the potential to create 10,000 good jobs in the region, which could pay $24 per hour or more, provide benefits, provide a path to advancement...
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