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Archived Awards Content

Awards issued prior to 2025 represent actions taken during previous administrations and do not necessarily reflect current investment priorities.

Lithium Valley Recompete Plan

*2023 Recompete Finalist

Application Title: Lithium Valley Recompete Plan

Lead Applicant: San Diego Regional Policy and Innovation Center

State(s) Served: California

Applicant-Defined Region:  Imperial County, California

Contact: Karen Connolly ([email protected])

The Lithium Valley Recompete Plan, led by the San Diego Regional Policy and Innovation Center, requests approximately $65 million in funding to transition the regional workforce into a technology and innovation-based economy centered on the lithium industry. Due to overdependence on low-wage agriculture jobs, the region’s residents have experienced generational poverty and stagnant economic mobility. Through a vocational campus, mobile career centers, a small business incubator, a STEM education facility, and supportive services for workers, funding will be used to reskill workers and equip businesses to take advantage of the growing lithium industry.  

Recompete Plan Narrative - Phase 1 (PDF)

Recompete Plan Narrative – Phase 2 (PDF)

View Press Release