Q: Are we not a tech hub?
A: We are Pittsburgh!
Being snubbed once hurts a little. But a second snub from the feds in one month? And this one focused on tech? Now, that feels like a blow to Pittsburgh’s collective ego. But should it be?
The latest hub flub
Okay, the flub is too harsh. The competition was steep, with more than 400 applications, including multiple from some cities. In the end, only 31 were picked in this round. The new tech hubs will get technical assistance from federal agencies, support in attracting foreign investment, and help with intellectual property issues.
Each hub can also apply for up to $75 million in grants during a second application phase. The CHIPS and Science Act provides $500 million for the hubs, and the administration says between 5 and 10 hubs will be selected for federal grants.
What did Pittsburgh propose? The University of Pittsburgh and InnovatePGH spearheaded the effort as part of the Pittsburgh Life Sciences Alliance. The pitch doubled down on the region’s assets in life sciences, especially the planned BioForge Manufacturing Facility in Hazelwood Green. But as Technical.ly reports, the proposal also tried to offer something unique by tying in the area’s other strengths like AI, robotics and advanced manufacturing.
The White House didn’t give a reason Pittsburgh – or any other city – wasn’t chosen, but the goal was to expand the tech industry beyond strongholds such as Silicon Valley and Seattle. While Philly, Baltimore, Chicago and a few other cities made the list, so did Montana, Vermont and Alabama. The White House points out that the chosen tech hubs might not be where a lot of people would expect. They include:
22 small or rural communities
6 tribal governments
4 low-population states
4 coal communities
14 states that have historically received lower levels of federal research dollars
All is not lost. The area’s already had a solid win. Pittsburgh received nearly $63 million from the feds in 2022 as part of the Build Back Better Regional Challenge to fortify and grow the region’s robotics industry. While the U.S. Energy Department passed on a southwest Pennsylvania-based hydrogen hub two weeks ago, the Pittsburgh area is still part of one centered in West Virginia that was chosen.
Plus, if you really want to put on rose-colored glasses, maybe our life sciences sector was already too developed. Or, perhaps enough research money is already coming our way? Or maybe it’s them and not us. Or maybe someone making the pick is just more into a woodsy hub in Maine trying to replace plastics rather than the Yinzer project focused on gene therapy?
Good press is great press
Despite experiencing some setbacks, the Steel City got good press recently. The Wall Street Journal reports the region ranks fifth among large metro areas for showing momentum in its tech labor force.
The Burning Glass Institute, a workforce research firm, ranked cities based on the growth in their demand for workers with advanced skills, plus the overall growth of their tech workforce between 2017 and 2022. High-tech skills include those related to cloud computing, artificial intelligence design, cybersecurity operations, and other specialties, according to Burning Glass.
Demand for software skills, such as cybersecurity and a hunger for artificial intelligence expertise, helped to propel Pittsburgh to fifth place. The Journal notes that local tech talent cultivated at the region’s universities has drawn big employers such as Google and Meta to the area while also giving rise to companies such as Aurora Innovation and Duolingo.
Even so, Pittsburgh placed just 23rd out of 27 for its share of workers with at least one tech skill in high demand. Given the region’s high “momentum” score, Burning Glass says Pittsburgh can be considered an “emerging” tech hub.The Steel City trailed only Seattle, San Jose, Calif., San Francisco and Austin in the momentum ranking. Those places may be tech superstars, but they’re also super expensive. What Pittsburgh lacks in hipness and glamor, the Journal reports, it makes up for in affordable real estate and room to breathe.
Still, Pittsburgh could do better. The Journal notes the region offers a small number of direct flights to the West Coast and few career options for younger workers. The city also suffers from a shortage of venture capital and IPOs, the newspaper says.
Quick hits
☢️ Charged: Westinghouse will make a critical component for nuclear batteries in Etna. [Trib]
🎅 Watch out, Rudolph! After delays, Astrobotic has scheduled a Christmas Eve launch date for its Peregrine lunar lander. [PG]
🏫 Schooled: Community College of Allegheny County prepares to open a new $43 million facility to train students to build and fix robots, among other things. [Trib]
Listen up
Today’s subject line was inspired by Devo’s first studio album, Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! The podcast 99% Invisible had a great episode recently on how the band “borrowed” and then was forced to morph an image of golfer Chi Chi Rodriguez after signing to a major label.