JobsOhio R&D Center Grant

JobsOhio R&D Center Grant

Supports Ohio companies building strategic corporate innovation centers with matched funding.

JobsOhio is Ohio's private nonprofit economic development organization, financed by Ohio Lottery and liquor proceeds rather than tax revenues and headquartered in Columbus, OH. Its incentive programs use custom, case-by-case award structures rather than fixed dollar-per-job formulas — a deliberate design choice intended to accommodate the varying scale and strategic value of individual projects. The R&D Center Grant is one of JobsOhio's specialized grant programs, targeting companies that plan to establish new strategic corporate research and development centers in Ohio to develop and commercialize emerging technologies or products aligned with the state's targeted industry sectors.

The program is active on a rolling basis with no published application deadline. Eligible applicants include both for-profit companies and nonprofits with R&D operations; individual applicants, universities, and pure research organizations without commercial mandates are outside the program's scope. Consumer retail businesses are explicitly ineligible across JobsOhio's portfolio. Award amounts are fully custom and negotiated based on a project's job creation numbers, additional payroll, fixed-asset investment, projected return on investment, and geographic location — with projects in JobsOhio's priority investment areas potentially receiving more favorable consideration. No published minimum or maximum award is available.

Prospective applicants should engage JobsOhio directly to initiate a conversation, as these awards are negotiated rather than competitively scored through a standard application form. The organization's ten targeted industries — which include advanced manufacturing, aerospace and defense, automotive, energy and chemicals, financial services, food and agribusiness, healthcare, logistics and distribution, technology, and military/federal — define the eligible scope for R&D center projects. JobsOhio can be reached at (614) 224-6446 or contact@jobsohio.com.