Commerce Department to Relaunch Tech Hubs Program

WASHINGTON, May 16, 2025 – Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick announced Friday that the Trump administration will revisit and relaunch the Tech Hubs Program, delaying previously announced awards and planning a new round of selections for early 2026.

The decision unwinds decisions by the prior administration, which named six Tech Hubs in January 2025 despite “no funds being available at the time,” Lutnick said. He criticized the process as “rushed, opaque, and unfair,” arguing that the awards were based on outdated applications and lacked proper competition.

“This is no way to invest taxpayer funds,” Lutnick said in a statement, emphasizing that future awards must prioritize national security, project quality, benefit to the taxpayer, and a fair process.

A fact sheet linked in the department’s release said the revised program aims to “ensure that the American taxpayer is investing in the best technological advancements to bolster the growth of critical industries in the United States.”

Created by the Biden administration in 2022, the Tech Hubs Program was authorized by the CHIPS and Science Act to spur regional innovation and boost U.S. competitiveness in key technologies. The program is run by Commerce, under the Economic Development Administration, which will issue a new notice of funding opportunity this summer.

Tech hubs supported by the EDA concentrate on advancing various technologies spanning multiple industries, including: information technology, software development, agricultural and food technologies, artificial intelligence and machine learning, Internet of Things ‘IoT’ devices and other connectivity solutions.

Lutnick stressed that the decision to relaunch the process “is not an indictment” of the previously selected hubs. Those earlier awardees will be allowed to reapply and compete for funding.

President Donald Trump had previously threatened to dismantle the CHIPS and Science Act, which houses the Tech Hubs program, unless it aligned more narrowly with his vision of domestic industrial policy.