ARM Institute plans $3M in grants for robotics and manufacturing
Summary
The ARM Institutes call for projects aims to promote collaboration and innovation that will push ideas forward that otherwise would suffer from a lack of funding or engineering roadblocks.Workforce development organizations Partner4Work and the Three Rivers Workforce Development Board recently received a $250,000 grant from the commonwealth to launch a tech training program for local, underserved youth.The Cybersecure Pittsburgh program will partner with Urban Pathways Charter School, Phase 4 Learning Center and the Boys and Girls Club to offer high school juniors and seniors free training in IT networking, system administration and cybersecurity.We need every young person to thrive in order to meet the workforce demands of our region, Christopher Watts, president and CEO of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Western Pennsylvania, told Technical.ly. Students will also be prepared for entry-level roles such as IT support specialist or junior cybersecurity analyst, according to Carl Wesley, chief program and innovation officer for Partner4Work.The grant comes from the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry, which awarded nearly $2.4 million to organizations across the commonwealth to expand pre-apprenticeships, classroom training and job shadowing initiatives.Pittsburghs tech sector is booming, but if we want that growth to be sustainable, we have to invest in the people who will drive it forward, said Rob Cherry, CEO of Partner4Work. Predictive Oncology, a Lawrenceville-based drug developer, received an undisclosed round of financing from biotechnology firm Renovaro Biosciences Inc. ahead of a planned merger between the two companies. Pittsburghs tech ecosystem saw 182 VC deals in 2024, a 33% increase from the previous year, securing $999 million in venture capital, mainly for life sciences and AI companies, according to a report from Innovation Works and Ernst and Young LLP. Pearl Street Technologies, a Carnegie Mellon University spinout focused on clean energy software automation projects, was recently acquired by Texas-based energy-focused SaaS company Enverus for an undisclosed amount.