06 Oct $5 Million Manufacturing Grant for UTRGV

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley has secured a $5 million federal grant to bolster regional manufacturing, expanding hands-on technical training and high-tech workforce development across six South Texas counties.

The award, announced during a campus presentation last Thursday, comes via the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Manufacturing in America Empower to Grow Grant Initiative. UTRGV is one of just 11 entities nationwide to receive the funding, which will be funneled through the university’s Institute for Advanced Manufacturing (IAM).

Through its newly launched EMPOWER-RGV initiative, the IAM will establish a regional Manufacturing Hub and Small Business Launchpad. The initiative targets small manufacturers, current workers, students, veterans, and job seekers across Cameron, Hidalgo, Willacy, Brooks, Zapata, and Starr counties.

Training will center on cutting-edge sectors, including robotics, automation, artificial intelligence, additive manufacturing, and digital production tools.

“The goal is to help our region’s manufacturers modernize, adopt new technologies, and develop the skilled workforce needed to compete and grow,” said Magdalena Hinojosa, UTRGV executive vice president for strategic initiatives and student affairs.

Hinojosa emphasized that at least 60% of the instruction will be hands-on practical application. Over the next 12 months, the program aims to assist at least 50 manufacturers, train 250 workers, issue 200 industry credentials, directly create 50 manufacturing jobs, and help retain 250 existing positions.

While major industrial investments often dominate headlines, small-scale operations form the backbone of local production, noted inaugural IAM Director Jianzhi Li.

“When we think about manufacturing, we always think about large factories and billion-dollar investments,” Li said. “However, we should never overlook small manufacturers. Manufacturing also has very powerful multiplier effects—when you include indirect and induced economic activities, every manufacturing job will create five more jobs in other sectors.”

In addition to workforce instruction, EMPOWER-RGV will offer local enterprises technical assistance and commercialization support to test AI-driven solutions designed to streamline operations, cut costs, and boost production quality.

The grant marks a major win for the Rio Grande Valley, with UTRGV standing as the only institution in Texas to secure the competitive federal award. While larger state universities typically focus on four-year degrees and classroom theory, UTRGV’s Institute for Advanced Manufacturing (IAM) offers hands-on shop-floor training and advanced technology under one roof. That unique setup allowed the university to deliver the practical, floor-level instruction federal officials were looking for—a role usually filled by technical colleges, but backed here by the power of a major university.