Hoeven Secures More Than $100 Million for Grand Forks High-Tech Aerospace Ecosystem in FY 2026 Funding Bill

GRAND FORKS, N.D. – Senator John Hoeven, a member of the Senate Defense Appropriations Committee, today announced he has secured more than $100 million for the Grand Forks high-tech aerospace ecosystem in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 funding, including:
Q Station
The $100 million Hoeven secured in FY2026 funding includes $4 million to bring Q Station, a Partnership Intermediary of the Air Force Research Lab (AFRL), to Grand Forks to grow both the region’s technology ecosystem and the state’s leadership in UAS, space, hypersonics and other military priorities. As part of its work in North Dakota, Hoeven announced Q Station will also partner with The Hive in downtown Grand Forks.
“As a partner to the Air Force Research Lab, Q Station will inject real energy into our start-up community, bringing in new small businesses and connecting them with our military to meet the needs of our warfighters in innovative ways,” said Hoeven. “Q Station is also a natural fit to partner with The Hive, and we look forward to the new opportunities to grow our tech ecosystem that will result from this partnership with Q Station.”
“This is one of the ways we’re working to expand North Dakota’s leadership in our national defense, and it comes in addition to the wide array of priorities we secured in our annual defense appropriations bill. These priorities strengthen our UAS, space and hypersonic missions, while supporting greater defense research and development throughout the Red River Valley. All of these different pieces tie together to create a complex of private, public, university and military partnerships that truly enhance our nation’s defense capabilities, doing innovative work that you can’t find anywhere else in the nation.”
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