U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker today announced $15 million in U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) grants to support 11 Trade Adjustment Assistance Centers (TAACs) in California, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Washington that help manufacturers affected by imports adjust to increasing global competition and create jobs.

“The Obama administration is committed to providing communities with the resources they need to succeed in a global marketplace,” Secretary Pritzker said. “The grants announced today will strengthen the competitiveness of the U.S. economy by providing funding for programs that help companies make improvements in such critical areas as advanced manufacturing, engineering, marketing, quality control, information technology, and market development.”The 11 grants include:

• $1.3 million to the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, for the Great Lakes Trade Adjustment Assistance Center

• $1.6 million to the Mid-Atlantic Employers’ Association, King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, for the Mid-Atlantic Trade Adjustment Assistance Center

•$1.5 million to the New England Trade Adjustment Assistance Center, Inc., North Billerica, Massachusetts

• $1.1 million to the Research Foundation, State University of New York Binghamton, for the New York State Trade Adjustment Assistance Center

•$1.6 million to the University of Colorado at Boulder for the Rocky Mountain Trade Adjustment Assistance Center

• $1.4 million to the University of Texas at San Antonio for the Southwest Trade Adjustment Assistance Center

• $1.2 million to the University of Missouri–Columbia for the Mid-America Trade Adjustment Assistance Center

• $1.5 million to Applied Strategies International, Ltd., Chicago, Illinois, for the Midwest Trade Adjustment Assistance Center

• $1.4 million to the Trade Task Group, Seattle, Washington, for the Northwest Trade Adjustment Assistance Center

• $1.3 million to the Georgia Tech Research Corporation, Atlanta, Georgia, for the Southeastern Trade Adjustment Assistance Center

• $1.2 million to the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, for the Western Trade Adjustment Assistance Center

EDA’s Trade Adjustment Assistance for Firms program funds 11 Trade Adjustment Assistance Centers across the nation. The centers support a wide range of technical, planning, and business recovery projects that help companies and the communities that depend on them adapt to international competition and diversify their economies. The grants announced today are for the third year of a funding cycle running from 2011 to 2014. Additional information on the program is available at www.taacenters.org.