The Upstate and Midlands of South Carolina have been designated as a Regional Technology and Innovation Hub and are now eligible for up to $70 million in federal grant funding to advance energy resiliency innovation.
The Nexus for Advanced Resilient Energy (SC Nexus) is a consortium of South Carolina educational institutions, state agencies, utilities and economic development organizations. It is among 31 regional technology and innovation hubs designated by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration, the state Department of Commerce announced Oct. 23.
SC Nexus will focus its initial efforts in the 24 Upstate and Midlands counties comprising the technology and innovation hub.
With the innovation hub designation, SC Nexus is eligible for Phase II federal grant funding ranging from $40 million to $70 million to leverage and accelerate existing efforts in developing resilient energy technology.
Those efforts are targeting energy generation, distribution and storage, and promise developments in manufacturing electricity components and materials such as new battery technology.
The technology hub designation comes amid a growing push by state elected leaders, economic development organizations and utilities to increase South Carolina’s electrical generating capacity.
SC Nexus brings together 35 public and private organizations. Among them are the following core members:
- S.C. Department of Commerce
- Clemson University
- Savannah River National Laboratory
- South Carolina Council on Competitiveness
- South Carolina State University
- S.C. Technical College System
- University of South Carolina
