Kaine Applauds Two-Year Anniversary of the Chips and Science Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine released the following statement celebrating the two-year anniversary of the enactment of the CHIPS and Science Act, which Kaine helped pass in the Senate to support and incentivize private investment in domestic semiconductor chips manufacturing and science research in America. The law also established a Tech Hubs Program within the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA), which selected two projects in Virginia: the Advanced Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Tech Hub in Richmond and Petersburg, and the Virginia Additive Manufacturing and Applied Materials Strategy Development Consortium in the New River Valley.

“I’m proud to have helped pass the CHIPS and Science Act—milestone legislation that is helping us protect our national security, strengthen supply chains, create new jobs, lower costs, and outcompete China,” said Kaine. “It’s no surprise that the talented Virginians in the fields of additive manufacturing and affordable medicine production are at the forefront of those efforts. I’m glad this legislation is working to support those innovators, and look forward to continuing to work with trailblazers across the Commonwealth to harness the opportunities created by this landmark law.”

Kaine has been a consistent advocate for the need to onshore chip production and has emphasized the important role Virginia can play in strengthening technology supply chains and creating more manufacturing jobs. 

Thanks to the CHIPS and Science Act, the Advanced Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Tech Hub in Richmond and Petersburg was picked from 198 applicants to be one of 31 inaugural Tech Hubs in regions across the country that show potential for rapid growth in key technology sectors. This designation is an endorsement of the Hub’s technological strategy to create jobs and strengthen U.S. economic and national security. In addition to the designation, the Virginia Biotechnology Research Park, a member of the Hub, also received $1 million in funding made possible by the CHIPS and Science Act’s investment in the National Science Foundation’s Regional Innovation Engines program.

While he was on Richmond City Council, Kaine helped form and grow the Virginia Biotechnology Research Partnership Authority, a leader of this project. As mayor, Kaine served on the Authority’s board, and as governor, he appointed members to the board. As senator, he cast a deciding vote for the American Rescue Plan, which awarded $52.9 million from the EDA’s Regional Challenge program to the consortium.

The CHIPS and Science Act awarded the Virginia Additive Manufacturing and Applied Materials Strategy Development Consortium in the New River Valley and Danville with a $500,000 Strategic Development Grant. The funding is designed to help advance a regional strategy based in the region to develop and deploy additive manufacturing system technologies for heavy industry to re-shore manufacturing and to strengthen domestic supply chain resilience. Last year, Kaine toured MELD Manufacturing, a member of the consortium, in Christiansburg.

In addition to the creation of the Tech Hub program, the CHIPS and Science Act is providing:

• Over $81 billion for the National Science Foundation (NSF) including: $20 billion for the first-of-its-kind NSF program to accelerate domestic development of national and economic-security critical technologies such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing, advanced manufacturing, 6G communications, energy, and material science; and
• $13 billion to investments in America’s Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) workforce by supporting STEM education through scholarships, fellowships, and traineeships to train workers in critical fields, including through an artificial intelligence scholarship-for-service program, a national network for microelectronics education, and cybersecurity workforce development programs.
• A 25 percent tax credit for capital investments in semiconductor manufacturing.

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