BOSTON (AP) Three New England universities are finalists in a federal contest to get up to $100 million in pandemic relief funds to rebuild communities.
Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo announced 60 finalists Monday for the $1 billion “Build Back Better Regional Challenge,” including the University of Rhode Island, Northeastern University and the University of Maine system. Chosen from about 530 applicants, the finalists each receive about $500,000 to develop their proposals.
Up to half of the regional coalitions will get up to $100 million each to implement their projects that support an industry sector.
The URI Research Foundation proposed working with the state of Rhode Island and a regional team to transform and grow the state’s “blue economy” by advancing new ocean technology developments and creating jobs in shipping, defense, marine trades, ocean-based renewables, tourism, aquaculture and fisheries.
Northeastern University proposed leading a coalition across Maine, Massachusetts and Rhode Island to support a biomanufacturing cluster and create jobs for underserved, distressed regions throughout the Northeast. The University of Maine is a finalist for its proposal to transform the next generation of forest bioproducts.
