The U.S. Department of Commerce Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) has extended awards for the Access to Capital Innovative Finance Grant to two projects that will address historical barriers faced by minority business enterprises (MBEs). Through potentially disruptive, scalable solutions, these projects will leverage non-traditional financial resources (such as non-bank lenders, minority...

Today, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo met with Philippine Secretary of Trade and Industry Alfredo Pascual to follow up on the first official in-person Ministerial meeting of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF). Secretary Raimondo expressed her gratitude for the Philippine government’s collaborative involvement in the processes leading up to and emerging from the...

DOT Will Host Business Forum to Improve Access to Capital and Resources in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Today, the USDOT Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU), the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), and the U.S. Department of Commerce Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) announced partnerships to help small and disadvantaged businesses access the...

Leadership team will guide implementation of historic semiconductor funding from CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 Today, the Biden-Harris Administration announced leadership for the newly-established CHIPS for America offices. These roles will be housed at the White House and the U.S. Department of Commerce. The announcements include executives experienced in large-scale program management, finance...

“Hurricane Maria wrought devastation upon Puerto Rico five years ago. As we approach this solemn anniversary, Puerto Rico is once again sustaining severe weather, this time from Hurricane Fiona. The storm has caused disastrous, life-threatening flooding and left the archipelago completely without power. The Biden Administration has acted swiftly in issuing an emergency declaration for Puerto Rico...

Today, following the release of the Department’s Responsible Advancement of U.S. Competitiveness in Digital Assets report, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo issued the following statement: “The Department’s framework reflects many months of interagency collaboration, public feedback, and research focused on examining key questions facing U.S. economic competitiveness as it relates to...

Cooperative research agreement aims to unleash innovation in the semiconductor and nanotechnology industries. The U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has signed a cooperative research and development agreement with Google to develop and produce chips that researchers can use to develop new nanotechnology and semiconductor devices. The chips will be...

The following was released by the Governments of Australia, Canada, Japan, Republic of Korea, New Zealand, and the United States on the Occasion of the APEC SME Ministerial Meeting, September 9-10, 2022. We express our unwavering support for APEC and our deep appreciation to Thailand, as APEC Chair in 2022, for delivering a successful host year. We commend Thailand’s leadership in hosting the 2022...