‘Punching above our weight’: KC requests $75M in federal funds as region’s Tech Hubs effort builds even more momentum

Leaders of Kansas City’s Tech Hubs initiative won’t find out until this summer if the regional effort will receive a new round of federal funding, but there’s already plenty to cheer, shared Dennis Ridenour.

Dennis Ridenour, president and CEO of BioNexus KC, speaks to members of the KC BioHub consortium during an event celebrating the initiative’s application for Tech Hubs Phase 2 funding from the federal government; photo by Taylor Wilmore, Startland News

“We fully expect to be here — or someplace like this — four or five months from now celebrating our region’s win,” the president and CEO of BioNexus KC told members of the KC BioHub consortium during a gathering Thursday at Boulevard Brewing Company. “This is really to celebrate what our region was able to put together over the last three months, and that was a really innovative proposal, steeped in equity, and bringing more partners to the table.”

The Kansas City Inclusive Biologics and Biomanufacturing Tech Hub (KC BioHub) — a consortium led by BioNexus KC — commemorated the successful submission of its application for Tech Hubs Phase 2 funding with an event featuring a range of industry, community and civic leaders, as well as high-profile government officials.

ICYMI: KC officially earns title of ‘Tech Hub,’ opening door to massive federal grant funding

Out of the 31 Tech Hubs destinations selected in the fall, five to 10 will secure additional funding ranging from $50 million to $75 million. The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration is expected to announce the recipients this summer.

U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids, D-Kansas, records remarks at Boulevard Brewing during a celebration of regional Tech Hubs efforts to secure additional federal funding; photo by Taylor Wilmore, Startland News

Kansas City’s proposal builds on the region’s historic strength and expertise in animal health to drive vaccine and biologic innovation, according to BioNexus KC, fortifying the existing animal health ecosystem while also building out adjacent strengths in human health, helping to boost domestic production and grow the region’s market share in vaccines and biologics.

“We also aim to create and place 10,000 jobs offering $24 an hour or more, benefits, and a clear pathway to career advancement without requiring a college degree,” explained Jennifer Lindholm, BioNexus KC director of communications and marketing. “Additionally, our initiative includes seven component projects, each carefully designed to guide the allocation of federal funds toward specific goals and objectives.”

Check out KC BioHub’s swelling list of partners below, then keep reading.

From Phase 1 to Phase 2, the KC BioHub almost doubled the number of partners involved, Ridenour said, from 60 to 110. It’s important for the EDA to see the region coming together, he noted.

“We are honored to be part of a group that guides and develops the region’s life sciences and healthcare innovation strategies,” he continued. “We haven’t just been dabbling in the life sciences as a region. Our region has had a really focused and intentional investment in the life sciences in the last two to five years. And it’s been really refined and honed and sharpened over the last two to three years.”

“Our organization was founded on the principles of collaboration,” Ridenour added. “‘The rising tide lifts all boats’ is really true. And that philosophy was on full display as we were developing this proposal.”

Chad Grittman, director of strategic partnerships for BioNexus KC, left, discusses the fundraising effort behind the region’s application for Tech Hubs Phase 2 funding from the federal government; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News

Along with the proposal, KC BioHub also had to raise a local funding match of 10 percent — equivalent to $7.5 million — in about two months; a task that went down to the wire, acknowledged Chad Grittman, director of strategic partnerships for BioNexus KC.

“We’re not only grateful, but we have to acknowledge that transformative moments require transformative partners,” he said, specifically thanking the Kansas City, Missouri, City Council for coming through down the stretch and committing $4 million.

KCMO Mayor Quinton Lucas congratulates regional leaders for the KC BioHub consortium’s application for Tech Hubs Phase 2 funding from the federal government; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News

When collaborations happen across state lines, noted Quinton Lucas, mayor of Kansas City, Missouri, so much excitement and energy can be leveraged for the region.

“You’re making sure that when some of us find ourselves in rooms all around the country — and they say, ‘What’s Kansas City about?’ — we get to talk about the Tech Hub,” he continued. “We get to talk about the KC BioHub and our university partners throughout Missouri and Kansas.”

U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids, D-Kansas, said the world is starting to notice what she has been saying all along: the Kansas City metro area has amazing resources and an amazing entrepreneurial ecosystem.

“It’s evidenced by us continuously punching above our weight,” she explained. “This region is home to some of the most innovative and hard working people. You want to talk about grit. Grit is figuring out how to be the smallest city in the country to get World Cup games. It’s punching above our weight when it comes to the NFL Draft. It’s punching above our weight when we talk about — not just sports — but academics.”

U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids, D-Kansas, and Melissa Roberts Chapman, the KC BioHub’s acting regional innovation officer, share a laugh during the celebration event at Boulevard Brewing; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News

Although the work of submitting the proposal has finished, the challenge of changing the fabric of the regional economy has really just started, shared Melissa Roberts Chapman, the KC BioHub’s acting regional innovation officer and a longtime Kansas City startup ecosystem builder.

“When I think about how important this is to our city, I think about this in a really big way,” she explained. “The reason that the federal government is investing in projects like this across the country is to help us respond to a massive geopolitical challenge, to help build the technology leadership that’s going to keep America great for the next. That’s a huge mission.”

“The thing that we can do for our country today is to carry forward this biotics innovation ecosystem,” Roberts Chapman continued, “and to set an example for other communities around the country about what it looks like to do that equitably in a way that that everyone across our community benefits.”