09 Jul Federal funds to bolster food manufacturing, biotech headed to Madison region
By Karen Rivedal, Wisconsin State Journal
A new federal designation awarded Wednesday will move 14 counties in south-central and southwestern Wisconsin to the front of the line for perhaps $75 million in federal grants over the next two years for a series of projects to help grow jobs and bolster business in the food-processing, biotech and advanced manufacturing sectors.
The application to the competitive U.S. Commerce Department program selecting 12 such sites around the country was one of the biggest initiatives undertaken by the Madison Region Economic Partnership (MadREP), in the past year, with input from the city of Madison.
Winning the designation gives the 14-county Wisconsin region a wealth of new federal resources and influence to support public-private partnerships and help fund up to 30 proposed projects aimed at strengthening the manufacturing industry, especially in the traditional regional strengths of food and beverage production. Read more …