This partnership with the Department of Defense (DoD) places Ohio, as a part of the MMEC, among eight regional “hubs” nationwide, Gov. Mike DeWine’s office and others said Wednesday.
The naming puts Ohio at the “epicenter” of a network aiming to revolutionize “lab-to-fab” microelectronics while solving national security challenges, the state said.
The consortium is made up of more than 65 public, private, and nonprofit entities, including organizations in Ohio.
In April, joined by fellow Ohio members of Congress, U.S. Rep. Mike Turner led a letter to the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering to support the consortium’s application for regional hub designation.
“Ohio’s selection as the Midwest hub for the ME Commons program underscores the critical innovation, research and technology ecosystem our state continues to build,” Turner, a Dayton Republican, said in a statement. “With various defense and aerospace research installations, renowned academic institutions, and diverse manufacturing base, the Buckeye State is the logical choice for this new regional technology hub.”
In an interview, Turner said Ohio is not only a leading partner in the consortium, but home to some of the most crucial installations that made the Midwest competitive.
“Wright-Patterson Air Force, AFRL (Air Force Research Laboratory, based at Wright-Patterson) and our academic resources, including NASA Glenn,” Turner said. “This funding will help these research installations to work collaboratively with industry, and that of course helps our national security.”
“Being chosen as a critical hub in the ME Commons initiative places the Midwest, with leadership from key Ohio institutions, at the heart of American-made semiconductor innovation,” DeWine said in his own release on the funding.
The Microelectronics Commons is a national network meant to produce direct pathways to commercialization for U.S. microelectronics researchers and designers, Turner’s office said.
The CHIPS and Science Act established the program for which these funds are awarded.
In all, the Defense Department announced eight sites Wednesday that will share in $238 million allocated for this fiscal year.
The program is authorized for five years and additional funding to the hubs, including Ohio, may be awarded in subsequent years, Turner’s office said.
“Ohio’s rich history of supporting innovation at key military and defense institutions like the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and NASA Glenn Research Center, coupled with our world-class educational facilities and a talented workforce, make our state the complete package to contribute to the Midwest region’s technology hub under the ME Commons program,” JobsOhio president and CEO J.P. Nauseef said.
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