BUILD BACK BETTER REGIONAL CHALLENGE

Overview

The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) has awarded the public and private sector stakeholders in the Richmond-Petersburg region, working together as the Alliance for Building Better Medicine, with $52,942,702 as winners of the national Build Back Better Regional Challenge. As the marquee of the EDA’s American Rescue Plan, the Build Back Better Regional Challenge aims to boost economic pandemic recovery and rebuild American communities by strengthening dynamic high-tech regional industry clusters across the country, while embracing economic equity, creating well-paying jobs, meeting priority national interests and enhancing U.S. competitiveness globally. The large federal grant will be matched by $13,339,919 of funding from private and public organizations, for a total investment of $77,792,402. Learn more:

Members Involved

The Alliance for Building Better Medicine coalition from across the Richmond-Petersburg MSA works to scale up the region’s advanced pharmaceutical manufacturing and R&D cluster to address the nation’s pressing need for quality, affordable essential medicines. The coalition is one of only 21 coalitions to receive funding from the Build Back Better Regional Challenge. Coalition members will leverage the Build Back Better Regional Challenge funding for six construction and programmatic projects.

    Background

    In 2020, through an initiative of VCU’s College of Engineering, the coalition of public and private sector partners was formed to design a regional strategy for advanced pharmaceutical manufacturing leveraging existing assets. The coalition reconvened in 2021 to fast-track development of an advanced pharmaceutical manufacturing cluster in central Virginia. The coalition was awarded seed funding from GO Virginia and others totaling $2.5 million. Members of the growing coalition quickly began developing opportunities for the emerging cluster to involve and impact the entire region and its many communities – urban and rural, students, entrepreneurs, small business owners, veterans, and low-income and minority populations disproportionately impacted by economic distress and the COVID-19 pandemic – with the goal of creating high-paying jobs and careers for individuals with a wide range of educational levels and experiences.

    In 2021, the coalition won Phase 1 of the Build Back Better Regional Challenge and began to plan in detail the six projects now funded with the support of  Activation Capital, City of Petersburg, City of Richmond, Civica Inc., Community College Workforce Alliance, Greater Richmond Partnership, Medicines for All Institute at Virginia Commonwealth University College of Engineering, Virginia Economic Development Partnership, Virginia’s Gateway Region, Virginia State University, Commonwealth Center for Advanced Manufacturing, GENEDGE, Brightpoint Community College, and Reynolds Community College.

    In 2022, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) awarded the public and private sector stakeholders in the Richmond-Petersburg region, working together as the Alliance for Building Better Medicine, $52,942,702 as winners of Phase 2 of the national Build Back Better Regional Challenge. As the marquee of the EDA’s American Rescue Plan, the Build Back Better Regional Challenge aims to boost economic pandemic recovery and rebuild American communities by strengthening dynamic high-tech regional industry clusters across the country, while embracing economic equity, creating well-paying jobs, meeting priority national interests and enhancing U.S. competitiveness globally. 

    Impact

    The Alliance members are currently leveraging the EDA funding opportunity to construct a Development/Scale-up Center to accelerate manufacturing innovation and the commercialization of lab discoveries. This first-of-its-kind facility is spurring collaboration, invention, and investment by speeding bench discoveries to commercial scale. Funding is being used to develop new and joint degree and research programs between VCU and Virginia State University and industry as well as manufacturing technician training at Brightpoint Community College and laboratory technician training at Reynolds CC, coordinated by the Community College Workforce Alliance. In addition, funds are being used to construct an Innovation Center with additional wet lab space in Richmond’s VA Bio+Tech Park to help existing organizations in the region grow. Support from the EDA is enabling local and regional economic development organizations to accelerate development in the region of the supply chain needed to produce new research, sales, service, and manufacturing facilities, and new jobs in the Richmond-Petersburg region. Finally, EDA funds are also support improvements to water and wastewater infrastructure in Petersburg’s Poor Creek service area serving the growing manufacturing facilities there.