Tulsa RAM corridor awarded $39m by US government

The Tulsa Regional Advanced Mobility (TRAM) Corridor, led by the Indian Nations Council of Governments, is to receive approximately $39m from the Biden administration.

The grant will be used to transition the region from its legacy of oil and gas and traditional manufacturing to advanced mobility, automation, and unmanned aerial systems.

Tulsa’s existing manufacturing base has been “steadily eroding and workforce training programmes have struggled to keep pace with technological change”, according to the council.

The funding will be invested in key assets, “enabling the region to compete in a rapidly growing industry where no clear winner has yet emerged”.

Oklahoma State University (OSU) will partner with the Osage Nation to stand up a 114-nm “beyond visual line-of-sight” flight test range for advanced aerial mobility technologies. OSU will also establish the LaunchPad Research and Technology Center in Tulsa’s Greenwood neighbourhood to increase research capacity.

Partnerships with community and entrepreneurship support organisations that have deep ties to Greenwood’s Black residents such as Black Tech Street, will ensure equitable access to the Center’s programmes, said the council.

The Biden administration announced 21 winners of the $1bn Build Back Better Regional Challenge which was administered by the Commerce Department’s Economic Development Administration (EDA). Awardees span 24 states and will receive between $25m and $65m to execute transformational projects and revitalise local industries.