Celebrating Two Years of BBBRC Funding in Tulsa
It’s been two years since the U.S. Economic Development Administration awarded Build Back Better Regional Challenge (BBBRC) funding to 21 communities across the country, providing transformational investments to strengthen regional industry clusters focused on equitable economic growth, good-paying jobs and U.S. global competitiveness.
As part of this program, Tulsa received a $38.2 million investment for the Tulsa Regional Advanced Mobility (TRAM) Cluster to establish a diverse hub for research, development and production in the advanced mobility industry.
Building a foundation for Tulsa’s advanced mobility industry
Over the last two years, BBBRC funding has established new workforce pathways, support for new startups and infrastructure crucial to scale the advanced mobility industry in the Tulsa region. It also paved the way for us to receive a Tech Hub designation last year. Here are a few key programs pioneering the way for our region:
- Skyway Range
With the creation of the Skyway Range testing environment, the Tulsa region is now home to a 1,200-square-mile “beyond visual line-of-sight” (BVLOS) flight test range for advanced aerial mobility technologies. Located just minutes from downtown Tulsa, it offers a unique testing environment that bridges the rural-urban divide. The research and testing capabilities available across the range are necessary to advance the development and scaling of drones and uncrewed aerial systems (UAS). In the span of just two years, the range is operational and is beginning its work with companies to conduct flight testing missions.
- LaunchPad Center for Advanced Air Mobility at OSU-Tulsa Helmerich Research Center
The LaunchPad Center, housed at Helmerich Research Center, serves as a dedicated resource to promote the development and commercialization of new technologies in advanced aerial mobility.
With the support of an industry consortium that’s comprised of over a dozen partners, LaunchPad has been collaborating on demonstration projects over the past year to show the variety of applications and use-cases for advanced air mobility technology across industries. Their first demonstration project, drones as first responders, was a collaboration between Tulsa Fire Department, The University of Tulsa, regional companies and LaunchPad fellows to build an autonomous drone system for rescue operations in Tulsa. This demonstration provided proof of concept for the use of drones in emergency response efforts, minimizing risk to first responders and increasing efficiency that will ultimately save lives.
- Port of Inola infrastructure enhancements
An investment in the Wastewater Treatment Facility at the Port of Inola will enable it to compete as the second “mega-site” in the state (alongside Mid-America Industrial Park) to attract companies and fuel advanced mobility manufacturing growth in the region. The construction is officially underway and when completed will increase Tulsa’s competitiveness in attracting businesses to Northeast Oklahoma—soon to be home to two large-scale, heavy-industrial sites with large swaths of contiguous acreage.
- Workforce pathways and programs at Tulsa’s education institutions
Tulsa Community College, Tulsa Tech and Oklahoma Manufacturing Alliance have all established new certifications, degree pathways and apprenticeship programming to help equip Tulsa’s workforce with training and skills that are in alignment with the advanced mobility industry. Over the last two years, more than 200 students have enrolled across these programs and more than 500 K-12 students have been involved in youth drone programs, exposing young Tulsans to potential career pathways in the industry.
Insights and learnings from other regions
To celebrate the two-year anniversary of BBBRC, the Tulsa Innovation Labs team attended a gathering in Wichita in September alongside 60 other coalitions that are seeding and scaling regional growth across the country. The coalitions discussed the role of industry in building better regions, explored approaches for developing industry clusters and shared progress, insights and best practices across regions.
Key takeaway: Place-based economic development initiatives are opportunity creators, and BBBRC funding has served as the foundation for successful economic growth in the middle of the country, putting unexpected U.S. cities on the map as beacons for innovation and technology.
TIL and our partners at OSU were among the group of leaders sharing best practices and insights.
Two years in, three more to go
In its first two years, BBBRC has been transformative for Tulsa’s advanced air mobility industry, building foundational programs and establishing our region as a Tech Hub—but we're just getting started. Tulsa is positioned for continued growth and leadership in advanced technologies. With three years left of BBBRC funding and additional major funding for implementation of Tech Hubs projects, the future is bright for the Tulsa region.
This work wouldn’t be possible without the help of strong, collaborative partnerships. If your organization is interested in getting involved, reach out to the TIL team for more information.
Download file