As 2023 ends and we look ahead to 2024, our world and our country continue to face a broad range of challenges—including climate change, economic uncertainty, and continued geopolitical tensions. In the face of these challenges, the United States is investing trillions of dollars in public-sector capital via the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Inflation Reduction Act, and the CHIPS and Science Act to bolster economic security, energy security, and national security. In aggregate, these new investments seek to accelerate technology and transform America’s industrial policy and built environment. If implemented effectively, these policies may fundamentally alter the public- and private-sector landscape for the next several decades.
The year 2023 was one of planning. The US federal government drafted and issued guidance for a range of new programs. Many state governments designed, launched, and scaled central coordinating functions charged with winning competitive grants and deploying federal funding (competitive and noncompetitive, new and enduring) as efficiently and effectively as possible.