The Biden administration on Monday designated 31 technology hubs spread across the country — including a statewide effort to be based in St. Paul — to help spur innovation and create jobs in industries such as artificial intelligence, precision medicine and clean energy that have previously clustered on the nation’s coasts.
“We’re going to invest in critical technologies like biotechnology, critical materials, quantum computing, advanced manufacturing — so the U.S. will lead the world again in innovation across the board,” President Joe Biden said on Monday. “I truly believe this country is about to take off.”
The hubs, chosen through a competitive application process, include “Minnesota MedTech 3.0,” or “MMT3.0,” to be led by the Minneapolis-St. Paul Economic Development Partnership, otherwise known as Greater MSP.
Based in downtown St. Paul, Greater MSP plans to boost the state’s profile as a global center for “smart medtech” by bringing together the state’s “medical technology ecosystem” to integrate artificial intelligence, machine learning and data science, according to a written release from the U.S. Economic Development Administration.
A goal of improving health outcomes
The goal, said Greater MSP officials in a separate release, is to create new products for health providers, health insurers and vendors in ways that improve health outcomes for patients while managing rising costs.
Officials said they expect MedTech 3.0 to “deliver thousands of jobs” while courting underrepresented groups in the region and across rural areas of the state as they expand access to lab spaces for start-ups and business accelerators, on top of apprenticeships, training and career pathway programs.