Economic Development Administration June 10, 2010 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The i6 Challenge is a new, multi-agency innovation competition led by the Economic Development Administration (EDA), a bureau of the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC). The i6 Challenge is designed to encourage and reward innovative, ground-breaking ideas that will accelerate technology commercialization and new-venture formation across the United States, for the ultimate purpose of helping to drive economic growth and job creation. To accomplish this, the i6 Challenge targets sections of the research-to-deployment continuum that are in need of additional support, in order to strengthen regional innovation ecosystems. Applicants to the i6 Challenge are expected to propose mechanisms to fill in existing gaps in the continuum or leverage existing infrastructure and institutions, such as economic development organizations, academic institutions, or other non-profit organizations, in new and innovative ways to achieve the i6 objectives. Under the i6 Challenge, EDA intends to fund implementation grants for technical assistance through its Economic Adjustment Assistance Program (42 U.S.C. 3149). The federal funding opportunity for the i6 Challenge was announced on May 3, 2010, and a notice and request for applications was published in the Federal Register (75 FR 23676).