{"id":48992,"date":"2011-10-27T08:15:29","date_gmt":"2011-10-27T12:15:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/?p=48992"},"modified":"2014-09-30T14:01:22","modified_gmt":"2014-09-30T18:01:22","slug":"uconn-technology-park-to-focus-on-advanced-materials-innovative-manufacturing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2011\/10\/uconn-technology-park-to-focus-on-advanced-materials-innovative-manufacturing\/","title":{"rendered":"UConn Technology Park to Focus on Advanced Materials, Innovative Manufacturing"},"content":{"rendered":"

In response to President Barack Obama\u2019s recent announcement of a national Materials Genome Initiative, the University of Connecticut, in partnership with the State of Connecticut, is taking proactive steps to support the President\u2019s vision of accelerating the discovery of advanced materials and innovative manufacturing techniques.<\/p>\n

\"State<\/a>
State Senate President Pro Tempore Donald Williams Jr. speaks during a ceremony in August to sign legislation to build a technology park at UConn. (Peter Morenus\/UConn Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Those steps are part of the just-released mission for the new UConn Technology Park, whose creation was announced by university officials earlier this year. The mission \u2013 determined by a multidisciplinary committee of industry, state, and university partners and announced today \u2013 is closely aligned with the Materials Genome Initiative and related science and technology initiatives launched by President Obama, and is anticipated to directly benefit regional industries and entrepreneurs while simultaneously helping to increase the nation\u2019s global competitiveness and strengthen the economy.<\/p>\n

In June 2011, the President\u2019s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) released a report<\/a> calling upon the nation to launch a new, advanced manufacturing initiative. The Obama Administration responded by announcing the launch of an Advanced Manufacturing Partnership<\/a>, a national effort bringing together industry, universities, and the federal government to invest in the emerging technologies that will create high-quality manufacturing jobs; reduce the time required to design, build, and test manufactured goods; and enhance America\u2019s global competitiveness.<\/p>\n

Also in June, the White House National Science and Technology Council released a separate report<\/a>, Materials Genomics Initiative for Global Competitiveness<\/em>, which cited the critical need for a new national infrastructure for data-sharing and analysis that will help scientists and engineers create advanced materials and address \u201cissues of pressing national importance.\u201d<\/p>\n

UConn President Susan Herbst says the University is perfectly positioned to meet the federal government\u2019s urgent call for new technologies and materials.<\/p>\n

\u201cUConn\u2019s Tech Park will hit the mark by promoting academic and industrial partnerships and by providing the physical and intellectual capacity to foster discovery,\u201d says Herbst. \u201cOver the past 15 years, the University of Connecticut has built the necessary foundation for strong industry-university interactions by developing the core competencies needed to support our state economy. In addition, during this period UConn has achieved unprecedented academic successes \u2013 recruiting outstanding research faculty, doubling research grants, and increasing technology transfer activities.\u201d<\/p>\n

Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy expects the UConn Tech Park to be the cornerstone of a new Connecticut research triangle that will revitalize the state\u2019s economy.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is an exciting endeavor for UConn, but it is also exciting for our state,\u201d Malloy says. \u201cThe research triangle concept has worked well in other states and there is no reason why Connecticut \u2013 with top talent, top universities and an entrepreneurial spirit and drive \u2013 can\u2019t capitalize on new ideas.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cyrus Wadia, assistant director for clean energy and materials R&D at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, adds: \u201cAdvanced materials represent the future of manufacturing, and the Materials Genome Initiative will speed the discovery and development of many of those materials. But the federal government cannot by itself ensure that America remains the leader in this important sector. Success will depend on a wide range of stakeholders and efforts, including regional efforts like the one that UConn is launching with the State of Connecticut.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Connecticut legislature has approved $18 million in start-up funding for the park, with an additional $152 million state investment expected by the time the Tech Park opens in 2015. The park, being built on 300 acres with up to $1.2 million square feet of building space, is expected to foster new models of public-private collaboration and leverage millions of dollars in federal and private research funding.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen it comes to net job growth over the last two decades, Connecticut has been treading water,\u201d says Connecticut Senate President Pro Tempore Donald E. Williams, Jr. (D-Brooklyn). \u201cThe creation of a research-triangle is exactly the type of investment we need to create high-quality jobs and sustained economic growth. With the approval of start-up funding for the project, we have taken a significant step forward \u2013 and are ensuring that Eastern Connecticut will play a critical role in the state\u2019s economic revival.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Tech Park\u2019s inaugural building will house the Connecticut Collaboratory for Materials & Manufacturing (C2M2). The 125,000-square-foot building will feature flexible-use laboratories and highly-specialized equipment to support new public-private research partnerships. The compelling reasons for the manufacturing and materials emphasis are outlined in the recent report from the President\u2019s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology:<\/p>\n