Nevada Tech Hub
Lead Agency: University of Nevada, Reno
State Served: Nevada
Applicant-Defined Region: Carson City and Reno MSAs
Core Technology Area: lithium batteries and electric vehicle materials
Contact: Richard Bartholet (richardb@unr.edu)
Media Contact: Michael Flores (floresm@unr.edu)
The Nevada Lithium Batteries and Other EV Material Loop (Nevada Tech Hub), led by the University of Nevada, Reno, aims to build a self-sustaining and globally competitive full lithium lifecycle cluster, spanning extraction, processing, manufacturing, and recycling. With a foundation of rich sources of lithium and materials essential to electrification, the Nevada Tech Hub is working to align and coordinate its innovation and economic development activities with established companies, startups, education, and workforce development organizations to enable this region to become a global lithium leader.
The Nevada Tech Hub seeks to position the Silver State as a strong node in the critical lithium supply chain and an ideal location for the nation’s future sustainable electrification storage industry.
In July 2024, EDA recommended this Tech Hub receive grant funding of approximately $21 million to implement two projects, including:
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Working with community colleges, state agencies, industry, and labor unions to bolster the region’s reservoir of skilled workers;
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Providing educational opportunities and wraparound support for students at the secondary and post-secondary levels;
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Promoting awareness of STEM-related occupations across Nevada’s lithium economy, increasing retention of Native students in STEM-related fields, and creating guided pathways to family-sustaining jobs in the growing Hub workforce;
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Supporting the administrative capacity and readiness of Nevada’s Native American and Indigenous communities to promote their ability to productively engage with industry; and
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Creating and maintaining effective and equitable management and decision-making processes, advising on workforce development strategies, and facilitating connections to relevant experts and organizations.
To ensure that the impacts of the Tech Hub benefit the entire region, the consortium is committed to developing equitable workforce training and recruitment strategies, including working with the University of Nevada, Reno’s Office of Indigenous Relations on a Nevada Native Nations Center initiative to support the participation of Native and Indigenous peoples in key decisions.
Designee Narrative (PDF) (submitted by the designee in its Phase 2 application package)
Additional Designations Earned in Region
