OSU wins nearly $51 million in Economic Development award to join consortium aimed at establishing Tulsa as a global technology leader

Tuesday, July 2, 2024

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Led by the Tulsa Innovation Lab, the partner consortium will support the Tulsa metropolitan region in advancing U.S. global leadership in reliable and fair autonomous technologies.

Today, the Biden-Harris Administration and the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) awarded approximately $51 million to the Tulsa Hub for Fair and Trusted Autonomy (THETA), a consortium led by the Tulsa Innovation Lab. The consortium aims to strengthen the region's autonomous systems capabilities through advanced manufacturing and deployment of technologies critical to the future of national and economic security. Tulsa is one of 12 tech hubs to receive funding out of 31 regions that received tech hub designation last fall.

Tulsa's innovation, abundant assets and tradition of federal investment (including a Greater Tulsa Region 2022 EDA Build Back Better Regional Challenge award) are positioning the region to advance U.S. global leadership in reliable and equitable autonomous systems, including unmanned aerial systems (UAS), autonomous vehicles, drones and robots, with use cases ranging from agriculture and pipeline inspection to regional transportation.

The Tulsa Innovation Lab has long believed that no city in the country is more poised to lead the next era of industrial innovation than Tulsa, said Jennifer Hankins, managing director of the Tulsa Innovation Lab, an initiative of the George Kaiser Family Foundation. “With a heritage shaped by aerospace and manufacturing, Tulsa is leading the future of innovation. Partnering with the Osage Nation, Cherokee Nation, Black Tech Streets and others, our community is poised to lead the development of these technologies while prioritizing security and reliability and ensuring benefits and jobs are widely available.”

EDA's Tech Hub funding will position the Tulsa metropolitan region in the $1.36 trillion global autonomous systems market and create up to 56,000 equitable new jobs over the next decade. Whether it's protecting Americans on the battlefield or getting medicines to rural communities, innovation in this industry is critical to the future of U.S. economic competitiveness and national security, and this funding will ensure these incredible technologies are tested and manufactured right here in Tulsa, USA.

Innovation in autonomous technology for commercial and defense use cases is critical to the future of U.S. economic competitiveness and national security. Tulsa will use this grant funding to support six projects:

Increase coordination of commercialization strategies among universities and university-backed startups; Build a state-of-the-art test and simulation environment, with a focus on cyber and data management, for companies, researchers, and regulators to address barriers to commercial adoption; Develop a program to identify opportunities for manufacturers in a trusted and fair autonomous systems supply chain and build a manufacturing demonstration center where small and medium-sized enterprises can scale their capabilities; Establish an AI Center of Excellence to expand opportunities and increase exposure to technology in underserved communities; Expand workforce programs to align training to industry needs, provide upskilling, and provide hands-on training opportunities; Establish a governance structure to execute projects, pursue additional funding, and advance the Tech Hub strategy.

Final grant amounts are expected to be confirmed in the coming months.

THETA was co-led by a steering committee that includes Black Tech Street (BTS), Cherokee Nation Businesses (CNB), L3Harris Aeromet, Madison Strategies Group (MSG), NORDAM, Oklahoma State University (OSU), Osage LLC, PartnerTulsa, Radius Capital, The University of Tulsa (TU), Tulsa Community College (TCC) and the Tulsa Economic Development Corporation (TEDC).

“It's always exciting to see projects like THETA that have the potential to improve the local economy, expand Cherokee Nation businesses into the autonomous systems and parts manufacturing industries, support growing defense and commercial needs, and strengthen critical supply chains,” said Chuck Garrett, CEO of Cherokee Nation Business, LLC (CNB). “This project aligns with the Cherokee Nation's commitment to improving the lives of our residents and strengthening the local economy in northeast Oklahoma.”

“The Greenwood AI/AS Center of Excellence (G-ACE) paves the way for Black people in Tulsa to secure good jobs in technology,” said Tyrance Billingsley II, founder and executive director of Black Tech Street. Black Tech Street's vision is to transform Black Wall Street into the world's leading Black innovation economy. Locating G-ACE in the historic Greenwood district honors the area's heritage, and our partnership with Microsoft fulfills BTS' mission to accelerate Black wealth creation in the Greater Tulsa region and beyond.

“Osage LLC's commitment to the growth and success of the region is evident from our track record of successful collaborations with several THETA partners and our development at Skyway 36,” said Russell Goff, CEO of Osage LLC, a driving force in economic development for the Osage Tribe. “We are pleased to continue this important work through THETA's SAFE-T project, which will create additional research and development opportunities and further increase the region's attractiveness to drone and autonomous systems companies.”

The Tulsa award is part of the EDA Tech Hub program, a historic $500 million investment in technologies critical to national security and U.S. economic competitiveness. The program called on the region to form a diverse coalition of partners. The consortium that joined the Tulsa Equitable and Trusted Autonomy Hub (THETA) proposal includes more than 75 partners from the public and private sectors.

“A diverse, resilient and inclusive industry base that harnesses the talents of many people ensures that the benefits are widely shared,” said Ken Leavitt, executive director of the George Kaiser Family Foundation. Thanks to the leadership of the Tulsa Innovation Lab and visionary partners like the EDA, this investment in Tulsa's local economy will strengthen local efforts to ensure Tulsa is a vibrant community that provides opportunity for all.

For more information on THETA and a complete list of partners, visit TechHubTulsa.com

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