(Radio Iowa) -The tax bill Governor Reynolds signed earlier this month also created a new state grant program for manufacturers. Jill Lippincott of the Iowa Economic Development Authority says manufacturers with fewer than 75 employees will be able to apply for the Technology Investment grants.

“Before when we had these evolution’s in industry we talked about water and steam power or mass assembly or computer and robotics and robotics,” she says, “and now we’re talking about with Industry 4.0 the internet of things and additive manufacturing and advanced robotics or amended reality or cyber security, so really digital technologies that are starting to become a part of our manufacturing processes.” Lippincott says the agency released a report in 2020 that found many of Iowa’s larger manufacturers have already begun using new technology to transform how work is performed and products are fabricated on the factory floor.

“But some of our smaller manufacturers in the state may be aware or may have started this journey, but may be a little further behind where we’d like to see them,” she says. A few other states have started similar grant programs. Iowa’s initiative will award two levels of Technology Investment grants. One, for 25-thousand dollars, will help manufacturers cover the costs of purchasing software and other digital products. The other, for 50-thousand dollars, will help cover the costs of buy high-tech equipment and machinery. Companies can start applying for the grants in September, but they’ll have to undergo an assessment with the Center for Industrial Research and Service first.

“I think that’ll be a big piece of understanding what is the overall strategy and goal they’re trying to reach with investment that they’re making,” Lippincott says. These will be reimbursement grants, so the company must show the state invoices providing they’ve purchased the technology after getting the grant.