PENNSYLVANIA — On Thursday, during the Keystone Space Conference in Pittsburgh, Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) Secretary Rick Siger announced new investments by the Shapiro Administration to boost Pennsylvania’s leadership in the aerospace sector.
Secretary Siger highlighted a $200,000 award through the Ben Franklin Technology Development Authority (BFTDA) to the Keystone Space Collaborative to support the region-wide pilot Keystone Space Innovation Challenge program.
He also announced that DCED has approved an expansion of the Greater Oakland Keystone Innovation Zone (KIZ) in Pittsburgh to include the growing space industry in the city’s North Side.
“The Shapiro Administration is thrilled to support Pennsylvania’s growing space industry,” said Secretary Siger. “The Commonwealth’s diverse space ecosystem is rooted in a legacy of innovation and is supported by a highly educated workforce and world-class research institutions. We look forward to building on Pennsylvania’s success, and ensuring our companies continue to lead the way in this dynamic sector.”
The Keystone Space Innovation Challenge is a new program designed by the Keystone Space Collaborative in partnership with Innovation Works, a BFTDA partner, with the purpose of piloting a region-wide challenge. Winners of the challenge will receive funding to support the mission lifecycle (design, development, testing, launch and in-space operations, and return/post-mission reporting) of suborbital and Low Earth Orbit microgravity experiments.
DCED’s funds will enable the Keystone Space Collaborative to launch the pilot Keystone Space Innovation Challenge program in 2023, and potentially grow the program the following year to reach a wider audience and increase the scope of eligible projects.
Sec. Siger also announced that DCED is expanding the Greater Oakland KIZ to enable eligible, early-stage technology companies to receive up to $100,000 in annual tax credits. The tax credits can be used against the company’s Pennsylvania state tax liability or sold. The ability to sell tax credits provides crucial capital to startups. Revenue from the sale can be used to hire new employees, purchase critical machinery, and expand operations.
The new boundaries of the expanded KIZ will include an area surrounding the Carnegie Science Center.
“Expanding the Greater Oakland Keystone Innovation Zone gives the Commonwealth a great opportunity to incentivize and nurture the outstanding work being done at our academic institutions in the space industry,” added Secretary Siger. “A growing ecosystem of startup firms will also help strengthen our manufacturing sector, attract new businesses, and spur further innovation.”
“As the world looks to space to solve so many critical issues, including the expansion of broadband to underserved parts of the world, increasingly they will be looking to the solutions being developed right here in our world class research universities,” said Audrey Russo, President and CEO of the Pittsburgh Technology Council, which manages the Greater Oakland Keystone Innovation Zone (GOKIZ). “With the expansion of the GOKIZ, the Commonwealth is creating a powerful magnet to attract entrepreneurs and start-ups that can leverage that technology and research to build viable companies, that in turn, will help change the world. We applaud the administration’s approval of our request to expand the GOKIZ.”
From the lunar lander developed by Pittsburgh-based Astrobotic, to the microgravity biotech commercialization research from the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, to the manufacturing supply chain in Northeast Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania is home to a broad range of businesses and organizations in the aerospace and defense industries. The Commonwealth’s world-class educational institutions fuel the research and workforce that space companies need to succeed. Pennsylvania’s regional location is within easy driving distance of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and Department of Defense (DoD) centers. And Pennsylvania’s partnership and support networks are ensuring that the rapidly accelerating growth in this sector is collaborative, inclusive, and strategic.
For more information about the Department of Community and Economic Development, visit DCED website.
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