# Plain Language Summary: Regional Innovation Act of 2021

This bill creates a new federal program designed to help communities across the country develop and grow technology and innovation industries in their regions. Right now, most of America's tech innovation is concentrated in a handful of places like Silicon Valley, Boston, and Seattle. This bill aims to spread that opportunity more widely by giving money and support to groups of organizations working together in different parts of the country to build their own innovation ecosystems.

Here's how it works in practice: A region that wants to participate would form a consortium—basically a team made up of local colleges and universities, businesses, government agencies, labor unions, and community organizations. These groups would work together to figure out what technology industries make sense for their area and create a plan to develop them. The federal government would first give them money to do this planning work (strategy development grants), and then if their plan is solid, they could get larger grants to actually implement it (strategy implementation grants). The money could be used for things like coordinating between different organizations, assessing what skills and resources the region already has, updating local zoning laws to allow new businesses, or making sure the benefits reach underserved communities.

The bill specifically prioritizes spreading these innovation hubs to places that have been left behind by the tech boom. It requires that at least a third of the designated hubs significantly help rural or underserved communities, and that at least half of the planning grants go to rural areas or communities that haven't traditionally been centers of innovation. It also emphasizes including historically Black colleges, tribal colleges, and other institutions that serve populations underrepresented in science and technology fields. The goal is to create good-paying jobs, support local economic development, and make sure all Americans—not just those in tech hotspots—can benefit from innovation and entrepreneurship.

Regional Innovation Act of 2021

Wild, Susan

Regional Innovation Act of 2021 This bill establishes a Regional Technology and Innovation Hub Program and a Regional Clean Energy Innovation Program. The bill directs the Department of Commerce to establish the Regional Technology and Innovation Hub Program to <ul> <li> encourage collaboration among local, state, and federal government entities, institutions of higher education, the private sector, nonprofit organizations, and others to promote inclusive regional innovation initiatives; </li> <li> designate eligible consortia as hubs and facilitate activities by such consortia in implementing their regional innovation strategies; and </li> <li>develop best practices for regional development and competitiveness in technology and innovation. </li> </ul> Additionally, the Department of Energy shall establish the Regional Clean Energy Innovation Program to <ul> <li>enhance the economic, environmental, and energy security of the United States; </li> <li>accelerate the pace of innovation of clean energy technologies through regional clean energy innovation partnerships;</li> <li>improve the competitiveness of U.S. clean energy technology research, development, demonstration, and commercial application; and</li> <li>support the development of tools and technologies best suited for use in diverse regions of the United States, including in rural, tribal, and low-income communities.</li> </ul>