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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowThe Department of Defense has awarded Bloomington-based economic development group Regional Opportunity Initiatives a $9.5 million, three-year contract to develop and grow its microelectronics workforce initiative in 11 Indiana counties south of the Indianapolis area, ROI announced last week.
The contract can be extended to five years, adding nearly $5.5 million to the contract value.
Funding was provided through the defense department’s Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment program, which seeks to improve supply chain resilience and workforce readiness. The contract also supports the department’s National Imperative for Industrial Skills initiative, which seeks to shore up workforce talent deficits and support workforce development proposals.
The support will bolster ROI’s multi-faceted workforce development strategy, which includes collaboration with K-12 schools, universities, employers and other stakeholders. The contract will likely lead to K-12 microelectronics education and career awareness outreach, Ivy Tech Community College certifications, youth apprenticeship programming, and a regional education and training hub.
Several similar initiatives are starting up or ongoing. ROI is implementing a network called Scalable Asymmetric Lifecycle Engagement, known simply as SCALE, locally to alert and prepare K-12 students for careers in microelectronics. And, Ivy Tech is growing its microelectronics certificate program, including an expansion to the Bloomington campus.
ROI concentrates its efforts on the Indiana Uplands region, consisting of Brown, Crawford, Daviess, Dubois, Greene, Lawrence, Martin, Monroe, Orange, Owen and Washington counties
“The Indiana Uplands continues to be laser-focused on growing upon its significant capabilities and capacity as an innovation hub,” ROI President and CEO Tina Peterson said written remarks. “The [federal] investment offers additional evidence that this region is positioned to leverage its often-unparalleled expertise in advanced technologies to not only bring opportunity to our region and our state but also to support national imperatives.”
The Indiana Uplands region is home to the Naval Surface Warfare Center-Crane Division and the 750-acre WestGate@Crane Technology Park, which often partner on defense-related research and collaboration. ROI estimates the operation has an economic impact of over $3 billion in the region.
The location of the military site, the recent growth of the tech park and a flood of federal financial support have propelled Indiana forward as a contender for large-scale investments and job creation.
Indiana is also home to the Silicon Crossroads Microelectronics Commons Hub, one of eight federal microelectronics hubs aimed at moving the military away from using chips made outside the United States. The initiative is funded by the CHIPS and Science Act (CHIPS stands for Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors) and is meant to fund the innovation, research and manufacturing needed to ensure that the United States can supply its own defense equipment.
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