Detroit coalition receives $52.2M federal grant to support auto investment, jobs in SE Michigan
(CBS DETROIT) - Officials say the Detroit Regional Partnership Foundation (DRP) and partners will receive a $52.2 million federal grant to advance Michigan's mobility innovation in the automotive industry.
According to a press release from the White House, the foundation was one of 21 awardees under the $1 billion Build Back Better Regional Challenge.
The U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) says the funding supports DRP's Global Epicenter of Mobility (GEM), which unites 136 coalition members include the Big Three, United Auto Workers, universities, and state, local and community leadership.
EDA officials say the Detroit region's prospects are "threatened by rising global competition in the electric and autonomous vehicle market, by the rapid pace of innovation in new mobility solutions and by an aging workforce that needs continuous reskilling to keep up with new products and technologies."
Official say the funding will help address it with a new Supply Chain Transformation Center
"The world is experiencing a once-in-a-century mobility revolution, and the Detroit region is poised to ensure the U.S. leads the way. The Global Epicenter of Mobility (GEM) is designed to support mobility in every sense of the word, from the transition to autonomous and electric vehicles to social and economic mobility," Maureen Donohue Krauss, CEO of the DRP, said in a statement.
State officials say there are six projects under GEM and five co-recipients will receive funding:
- Detroit Regional Partnership: For GEM Central overall grant administration and to increase site readiness to attract major mobility projects.
- State of Michigan's Office of Future Mobility and Electrification: To increase equitable access to the state's world-class testing and proving assets.
- Southeast Michigan Community Alliance (SEMCA), in coordination with MichiganWorks: To help existing companies meet evolving high-tech talent needs, offset retirement losses, and support career pathway advancement for historically excluded communities.
- TechTown: To accelerate the growth of mobility startups that drive innovation to fill gaps in the mobility value chain.
- University of Michigan Economic Growth Institute: To help existing small- to medium-size manufacturers transition to the electric vehicle market through a new Advanced Mobility Supply Chain Transformation Center.
"Building on 400+ unique assets, GEM will support workers, startups, and existing companies so they can adapt to the rapidly evolving advanced mobility industry and create the new high-quality jobs of the future," Krauss said.
