紐時賞析／拜登撒幣資助社區轉型科技中心 現僅撥款5%引擔憂

美國總統拜登2022年9月抵達俄亥俄州新奧爾巴尼新的半導體制造設施施工現場，並發表談話。（紐約時報）

Biden Awards $504 Million to a Dozen ‘Tech Hubs’ Across the Country

拜登撒幣 盼改造被忽視地區成科技中心

The Biden administration awarded $504 million Tuesday to a dozen projects across the country in a bid to transform communities that had been overlooked in the past into technological powerhouses.

拜登政府週二向全美12個計劃撥款共5億400萬美元，旨在將過去一直被忽視的社區轉型爲科技強者。

The grants will fund “tech hubs” that aim to bolster the production of critical technologies in regions including western Montana, central Indiana, south Florida and upstate New York. The hubs are meant to accelerate the growth of advanced industries in the United States, such as biomanufacturing, clean energy, artificial intelligence and personalized medicine.

這些補助金將資助「科技中心」，目標是在蒙大拿州西部、印第安那州中部、佛羅里達州南部和紐約上州加強關鍵技術生產。這些中心旨在加速美國先進產業成長，如生物製造、潔淨能源、人工智慧和個人化醫療。

The program reflects a federal effort to expand America’s science and technology funding beyond Silicon Valley and a few coastal regions, an initiative Biden administration officials say will help revitalize areas that have traditionally received less government investment. Proponents say the projects will help create “good-paying” jobs and tap into underutilized pools of workers and resources across the country.

這項專案，顯示聯邦政府努力將美國科學和科技的資助擴大到矽谷和一些沿岸地區之外。拜登政府官員表示，這個新措施將協助振興傳統上政府投資較少的地區。支持者表示，這些計劃將協助創造「高薪」工作，並開發全美未被充分利用的工作人員和資源。

The $10 billion program was authorized by the CHIPS and Science Act, which Congress passed in 2022 to ramp up the domestic manufacturing of semiconductors and increase funding for scientific research. The idea of spreading technology funding beyond Silicon Valley helped the legislation win broader support from lawmakers representing parts of the country that were eager to benefit.

這項價值100億美元計劃是由「晶片與科學法」授權。美國國會2022年通過這項法案，旨在擴大國內半導體制造和增加資助科學研究。將科技資金擴散到矽谷以外地區的想法，幫助這項法律獲得代表美國渴望受益地區的國會議員廣泛支持。

The Commerce Department initially considered nearly 400 applications, narrowing them to a pool of 31 projects that received “tech hub” designations in October. On Tuesday, 12 regions won grants that ranged from $19 million to $51 million.

美國商務部最初將近400份申請納入考慮，去年10月將其減少到僅正式指定31個計劃爲「科技中心」。在週二，有12個地區獲得介於1900萬至5100萬美元不等的補助金。

It is unclear, however, how much more funding will be available. Although Congress authorized $10 billion for the five-year program when the CHIPS Act passed, only about $541 million — or roughly 5% — has been appropriated so far, which some say could hinder the program’s success.

然而，目前尚不清楚將有多少額外資金可用。儘管國會在通過「晶片法」時批准這項五年計劃可使用100億美元資金，但目前爲止僅撥款約5億4100萬美元，約佔總資金的5%。有些人認爲這可能阻礙這項專案成功。

One of the beneficiaries Tuesday was a project in Tulsa, Oklahoma, that aims to develop drones and other autonomous systems for customers including the U.S. military. It received $51 million.

奧克拉荷馬州土耳沙的計劃是撥款受益者之一。該計劃目標是爲美國軍方等客戶開發無人機和其他自動化系統。它獲得了5100萬美元。

Another winning project came from a consortium in Indiana called Heartland BioWorks, which was promised $51 million to invest in biotechnology and biomanufacturing, including in human, animal and plant biosciences.

另一個贏得補助的計劃是源自印第安那州一個名爲「中心生物技術」的財團，獲得政府所承諾的5100萬美元資金，將投資在生物科技和生物製造，包括人類、動物和植物生物科學領域。

文／Madeleine Ngo and Ana Swanson　譯／羅方妤