PHOENIX – An effort to grow the “Optics Valley” brand in Tucson and across Arizona has received a huge boost with a half-million-dollar federal contract to promote the growth and formation of optics companies in the region.
Strategy1, a Tucson business consultancy, announced it was awarded a Small Business Administration contract worth US$500,000 this year to work with a statewide optics industry group to help existing optics firms grow, promote the formation of new optics and photonics companies and boost the visibility of the US$3 billion statewide industry.
The contract — which includes four additional option years at the same annual funding level — was one of seven awarded late last year under the SBA’s Regional Innovation Clusters program, which funds efforts to grow and develop specific industries in particular regions.
Source: Tucson.com