In November 2023, the GPEC-led consortium was awarded a Strategy Development Grant from the Economic Development Administration (EDA) to enhance local coordination and planning efforts for a technology-based regional economic development strategy.

 

Various challenges have highlighted domestic vulnerabilities — an aging population, high rates of chronic disease and inadequate public health and medical technology infrastructure — which have led to significant disruptions in work, local economies and international supply chains, with ongoing economic and national security implications. Concurrently, there has been notable growth in telehealth and the wider use of medical devices, which can increase access to high-quality care and promote more equitable health outcomes. However, the U.S. lacks the advanced manufacturing capacity to fully leverage these advancements in medical devices for broader use.