Congressman Joe Morelle Takes Action to Strengthen Regional Innovation and Invest in Our Local Manufactoring Economy

Press Release

Today, Congressman Joe Morelle joined with local business leaders and universities to highlight the America COMPETES Act--a comprehensive package to strengthen America's competitiveness by investing in innovation. This bill, passed by the House of Representatives, includes provisions envisioned in Rep. Morelle's legislation, the Innovation Centers Acceleration Act, to create regional technology and innovation hubs that Rochester is uniquely positioned to become.

"Now is the time to boldly invest in innovation and scientific research to advance America's competitiveness against China and reestablish our nation as the global leader of innovation," said Congressman Morelle. "I'm particularly pleased that our local universities, manufacturing infrastructure, and highly specialized workforce put Rochester in a strong position to benefit from these investments and grow our regional economy. I'm proud this bill will focus on the creation of innovation centers and ensure that America can outcompete any nation in the world, now and for decades to come."

Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Bob Duffy said, "As outlined in an analysis by MIT Professor Jonathan Gruber, the Greater Rochester region is ranked number one in the nation as ripe for technological and economic investment and growth. With 19 nationally and internationally renowned higher education institutions to provide much-needed talent, world-class facilities like STAMP and Eastman Business Park which are primed to host new semiconductor jobs and factories, and a long history of cutting-edge technological research and development, Rochester is perfectly suited for additional investment. Greater Rochester Chamber and our 1,300 members commend Congressman Morelle for his leadership on the America COMPETES Act, and emphatically support Greater Rochester as a winning location for innovation investment."

University of Rochester President Sarah Mangelsdorf said, "I applaud the recent passage of the America COMPETES Act by the House of Representatives and thank Representative Morelle for his incredible leadership and support. This bill authorizes significant new investments in research and development, including at the National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy, and STEM education programs. In doing so, it re-invigorates the long-standing partnership between the federal government and research universities, like the University of Rochester, that has made the U.S. the global technological leader. I am also heartened by investments in regional technological innovation to help good ideas develop and thrive wherever they may be found and help communities, like Rochester, build an ever better future as new growth centers."

RIT President David C. Munson, Jr. said, "The America COMPETES Act draws on the exceptional strengths and assets of the Rochester community and will help grow our regional economy and strengthen our Nation's competitiveness. We commend Congressman Joe Morelle's vision and longstanding appreciation of the role that universities such as RIT play in research, development and innovation across the region and country."

NextCorps President James Senall said, "Our region has many assets already in place that can be brought together in ways to catapult innovation and drive significant regional growth. This includes several unique startup incubator and accelerator programs that support entrepreneurs building innovative companies in optics, imaging, climatetech, and software sectors, international outreach that is attracting more startups to locate here, and federally and locally funded manufacturing assistance that is helping our manufacturers remain competitive and grow their bottom line. Congressman Morelle's vision for leveraging this solid foundation through the America COMPETES Act can help accelerate the pace of these efforts and build regional economic resilience for many years to come."

Congressman Morelle has led the effort for dedicated federal investments into our nation's innovation and manufacturing efforts. Rochester, New York was identified by the Brookings Institute as a potential innovation hub--one of the top regions for growth opportunity in this sector. The America COMPETES Act authorizes $6.8 billion over five years for the Department of Commerce to establish these regional tech hubs that Rochester is well-positioned to compete for.

America COMPETES will also:
-Accelerate U.S. production of critical semiconductor chips.
-Strengthen the supply chain to make more goods in America.
-Turbocharge our research capacity to lead the technologies of the future, and advance global competitiveness.
-Support strong labor standards and human rights.

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