Sec.Office - UK KY PATH project partner (KY PATH Build Back Better Challenge)

Kentucky PATH Project Abstract The Commonwealth of Kentucky’s Prosperity through AgriTech Hub (Kentucky’s PATH) presents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform an entire region by attracting thousands of good- paying jobs and directing game-changing investment to one of the most coal-dependent and economically-depressed parts of the country: Eastern Kentucky and Appalachia. The Commonwealth of Kentucky, who will serve as the Lead Institution, is proposing five tightly aligned projects that revolve around the construction of a new state-of-the-art AgriTech research and development (ARD) center, focusing on controlled-environment agricultural (CEA) production, horticultural innovation, and technological solutions. Companion initiatives will spark and cultivate ancillary business and educational opportunities through partnerships with an established and growing coalition of public, private, academic, and non-profit organizations. Kentucky''s PATH places equity at the center by focusing its benefits on economically-distressed Persistent Poverty Counties (PPCs) located in the heart of the Appalachian Region. Kentucky’s PATH is “shovel-ready" with a site selected and studied. The proposal will build on a strong foundation and accelerate existing momentum in the state’s AgriTech sector, including $160 million in public and private investment already committed. The model is inspired by the world’s leader in indoor agriculture, the Netherlands, where high-tech greenhouses yield 30-times more crops compared with traditional agriculture, utilize less harmful chemical pesticides, and capitalize on efficient post-processing and distribution chains. Kentucky’s PATH will support cluster-based economic development in the following key ways: (1) constructing new shared physical space and infrastructure in Eastern Kentucky, including a state-of-the-art ARD center and space for education and community connection with entrepreneurship opportunities; (2) matching skilled workers to attract cluster firms and anticipating and implementing assets for the workforce to evolve as the cluster specializes; (3) growing a vibrant industry with new jobs and creating an environment that facilitates knowledge exchange and innovation, including launching a?Global Food Chain?Startup Challenge; (4) creating inclusive employment opportunities through responsive talent development and retention programs and recruiting companies; (5) establishing a high-skilled, remote-capable, and resilient workforce in Eastern Kentucky to meet the needs of new and existing AgriTech ventures. The University of Kentucky is a partner in this project, and Ian McClure and Mark A. Williams will serve on the KY PATH Leadership Team. This subaward will support their participation.