Opportunity Information: Apply for EDA UC 2023 DRO
The FY 2023 EDA University Center Competition - DRO is a discretionary funding opportunity from the U.S. Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration (EDA), under CFDA 11.303. It supports the University Center Economic Development Program, which funds accredited institutions of higher education (or consortia of accredited institutions) to provide hands-on technical assistance that strengthens regional economic ecosystems. The overall intent is to mobilize university assets, like faculty expertise, students, labs, proof-of-concept resources, research capabilities, and broadband networks, to help regions grow more innovative, more inclusive, and more resilient over the long term.
The program is geared toward practical, region-facing economic development work rather than purely academic research. Applicants propose a University Center that delivers technical assistance aligned with one or more of the program focus areas: advancing regional commercialization efforts, advancing high-growth entrepreneurship, cultivating innovation, encouraging business expansion in regional innovation clusters, developing a high-skilled regional workforce, and increasing regional resilience. In practice, this can include services such as technology commercialization support, feasibility studies, market research, economic impact analyses, applied research center support, workforce training program design, and other forms of technical assistance that help communities implement strategies for job creation, talent development, and business growth.
A central feature of this specific competition is its geographic limitation. EDA is soliciting competitive applications only from institutions (or consortia) that are located in, and that target only, the geographic areas served by EDA regional offices specified in the notice. For this DRO posting, the relevant area is the Denver Regional Office, which covers Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, Nebraska, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming. (The notice also references a separate posting for the Austin Regional Office, which serves Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas.) The takeaway is that both the applicant and the program service area must fit the designated regional office footprint for the posting being applied to.
EDA emphasizes that universities are often anchor institutions within local economies and can generate strong "knowledge spillovers" and deep networks that benefit entrepreneurs and industry partners. The notice highlights several ways universities can support economic development, including converting intellectual property and research into market-ready products and services, supporting regionally owned economic strategies that lead to business expansion and job creation, helping communities respond to climate change impacts, and assisting businesses that want to reach global markets through trade and export-related support.
In addition to standard EDA investment priorities, this NOFO signals specific priorities where practicable around equity, workforce development, and climate resilience, with the goal that investments deliver broad and durable benefits. EDA encourages applicants to design programs that intentionally reach historically underserved populations and places. The notice names groups such as communities of color, women, people with disabilities, disconnected youth, individuals in recovery, people with criminal records including justice-impacted and reentry participants, individuals receiving SNAP, TANF, or WIC benefits, veterans and military spouses, and communities that have faced systemic barriers to prosperity. It also calls out underserved geographies such as Tribal Lands, Persistent Poverty Counties, and rural areas with documented historic underservice.
Awards are issued as grants and/or cooperative agreements, with an award ceiling of $200,000. EDA anticipated making about 10 awards under this competition. Eligible applicants include public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, and certain other eligible entities as clarified in the full NOFO, with the core expectation that the lead is an accredited higher education institution or consortium aligned to the service-area rules.
The application process for this NOFO runs through EDA's newer grants management platform called the Economic Development Grants Experience (EDGE), intended to streamline submission and post-award management with a single system and improved transparency. Applications are submitted at https://sfgrants.eda.gov/s. The opportunity was created May 4, 2023, and the original closing date was July 10, 2023, with full application instructions and requirements provided in the complete NOFO.Apply for EDA UC 2023 DRO
- The Department of Commerce in the other (see text field entitled explanation of other category of funding activity for clarification) sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "FY 2023 EDA University Center Competition - DRO" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 11.303.
- This funding opportunity was created on May 04, 2023.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 10, 2023. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $200,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 10 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
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