The Rochester Institute of Technology will receive a $70 million federal grant from the U.S. Dept. of Energy to lead a national consortium aimed at developing new methods of clean energy in manufacturing.
USA Today reports that Sens. Charles Schumer (D-NY) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) announced the award for the Clean Energy Manufacturing Innovation Institute after they and Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-NY) pressed for the money in recent months.
The RIT-led consortium aimed at improving manufacturing efficiency and sustainability will include more than 100 research universities, national laboratories and private companies, including Purdue and Yale, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Xerox and Caterpillar, lawmakers said. There is the promise of direct jobs, but the goal — much like with the photonics institute — is to create a research hub that attracts companies working in the field.
The money will be allocated over a three-year period and will be matched by RIT itself, the senators said. Slaughter said matching funds would come from the consortium, and be bolstered by private investment.
Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz toured the region in October at Schumer's invitation as RIT looks to research and develop ways to reduce emissions and other pollutants in the manufacturing sector.
The project seeks to increase manufacturing sales in the U.S. by 50 percent, aiming to help revive the region and state's once prominent manufacturing industry, advocates said.