When Baltimore won a spot on the federal government’s Regional Technology and Innovation Hubs list in 2023, it felt like millions of dollars for economic development were within reach.

But, two funding opportunities later, Baltimore hasn’t been chosen — and now the region must adjust its pitch for a Trump administration with far different priorities than the previous one.

President Donald Trump has been shaking up the federal government, but his administration recently announced it will preserve the tech hubs program, albeit with different selection criteria. The Greater Baltimore Tech Hub Consortium said it plans to continue pursuing a $70 million award.

Baltimore’s original pitch focused on the region’s plan to become a nucleus for health care, artificial intelligence, machine learning and biotechnology, and it makes dozens of references to diversity, equity and other terms the Trump administration has rejected. The consortium said it will strip those terms out of the application.

The Baltimore Tech Hub is one of 31 nationwide to receive the federal designation. The consortium is a mix of private and public companies, universities such as the Johns Hopkins University and Morgan State University, and the Greater Baltimore Committee.

Last July, hubs in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Oklahoma, Nevada, Montana and six others beat out Baltimore’s bid in the first round of the program. The loss came as a surprise to Baltimore because Mark Anthony Thomas, president and CEO of GBC, spoke on behalf of the region and introduced former President Joe Biden at the program’s unveiling at the White House in October 2023.

Thomas vowed that wasn’t the end of the line for Baltimore. The 12 selected hubs all were awarded less than the $70 million Baltimore wanted. Those who didn’t win, including Baltimore, received $500,000 for their application efforts.

Eric Smith, former deputy director of the Economic Development Administration, the U.S. Department of Commerce agency that oversees the tech hub program, told local stakeholders during a visit last August that the Biden administration and Baltimore’s consortium were aligned on the vision. But he advised the region to find a more strategic focus.

Optimism dimmed after Trump won in November. Supporters of the Baltimore Tech Hub questioned what was next — and whether the new administration would cut off funding.

In a newsletter to the community, Thomas addressed how the election results might affect the program, saying at the time, “We really don’t know right now.”

Then, just days before Trump took office — and unknown to any of the federally designated tech hubs — the Biden administration squeezed in one last award of $210 million to be split among six tech hubs.

Now under a new administration, the Commerce Department is “revamping the tech hubs program to prioritize national security, project quality, benefit to the taxpayer and a fair process,” the agency announced last month.

“I think we have a winning case in all three,” Thomas said.

The administration will redo the competition, this time awarding $220 million, and publish a new notice of funding and a new set of criteria. It will allow tech hubs to update their applications and announce winners early next year.

Thomas said the move will “give us all a fair shot at competing for the next round of funding.”

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said the selection process under Biden was “rushed, opaque and unfair” because the previous administration’s officials did not make prospective applicants aware of the second competition, “chose awardees using outdated applications submitted nearly a year earlier” and announced the awards “even though the funds were not yet available.”

Applicants must meet new requirements by explaining “how this project will be a bargain to taxpayers” and removing references to priorities “that contradict with President Trump’s Executive Orders on diversity, equity and inclusion and energy,” according to guidance in a statement from the Commerce Department.

DEI was a priority for the Biden administration, and the narrative for the Baltimore consortium’s plan leans into that.

There are 21 references to diversity, equity and inclusion, 16 to Equitech, a term that originated from UpSurge Baltimore, and several uses of belonging, socioeconomic and underrepresented — all words the government ordered the removal of from websites, materials and other places, the New York Times reported in March.

Thomas told The Banner in February, just weeks after Trump signed an executive order against DEI, that the tech hub would have to move away from use of those terms to adapt to new federal priorities. The consortium would “strip out the controversial or trigger terms, and lean into the work itself,” he said at the time.

That’s still the plan, he said. The focus will be on advancing other aspects of the Baltimore Tech Hub’s road map, such as tech companies and universities that can make the region a shining star for AI in health care and biotechnology.

The election results showed that Americans are looking for evolution in the economy, Thomas said, and programs like the tech hubs are “one of a few bright spots.”