First Round of Funding from SUNY Materials and Advanced Manufacturing Network of Excellence Announced

The State University of New York today announced that $710,000 has been awarded for the first round of funding from the SUNY Materials and Advanced Manufacturing Network of Excellence, which aims to support the state’s manufacturing sector by bringing faculty and student researchers together with industry experts to spur the development and commercialization of their work.

The awards – given to nine collaborative projects on seven SUNY campuses – are part of ongoing state investment in the SUNY Networks of Excellence, which now totals nearly $2.5 million. Previously announced were awards for SUNY 4E(Energy, Environment, Education, Economics), SUNY Health, SUNY Brain.

“Whether they are advancing 3D printing, extending battery life, or increasing student interest in advanced manufacturing, SUNY campuses across the state are coming together to enhance the capacity of New York’s manufacturing industry through their collective research,” said SUNY Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher. “The SUNY Networks of Excellence have quickly started to have an impact not only on the students, faculty, and researchers who participate in them but on the entire state. Congratulations to all of the project partners supported by this first round of funding.”

Dr. Timothy Killeen, president of the RF and SUNY vice chancellor for research, said, “SUNY’s Materials and Advanced Manufacturing Network of Excellence effectively applies SUNY’s capacity to the New York’s manufacturing sector. This network connects SUNY and private sector experts, lowering barriers against sharing ideas and speeding up the transition from discovery to production. The range of projects funded showcases the diversity of expertise across SUNY that is applied every day to drive economic development and job growth across New York.”

Briefly, nine collaborations have been awarded funds as follows:

• $175,000 for Biomaterials: This project aims to enable personalized treatment of diseases and injuries through large scale manufacturing of advanced biomaterials. (University at Buffalo, Binghamton University, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, SUNY Polytechnic Institute, Stony Brook University)
• $175,000 for Energy Materials: Project partner will leverage SUNY’s two national Energy Frontier Research Centers and Stony Brook University’s partnership with Brookhaven National Laboratory to build a statewide energy materials research infrastructure. (Binghamton University, University at Albany, SUNY Potsdam, Stony Brook University, SUNY Polytechnic Institute, University at Buffalo)
• $175,000 for Flexible Electronics: This project aims to deploy flexible electronics and materials for advanced biotechnology, photovoltaic, and sensor applications. (SUNY Polytechnic Institute, Binghamton University, University at Buffalo, Stony Brook University)
• $60,000 for Green Composite Materials: For this project, SUNY campuses will engage corporate partners to submit a competitive proposal to establish a Clean Energy Manufacturing Center in New York State. (SUNY College of Environmental Science, Stony Brook University, SUNY Albany, Binghamton University, Stony Brook University)
• $40,000 for Digital and Additive Manufacturing: Participating campuses will partner with industry representatives to expand the development and use of 3D printing and additive manufacturing technology. (Stony Brook University, University at Buffalo, Binghamton University, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry)
• $40,000 for Functional & Responsive Materials: $40,000 to explore the feasibility of creating a “smart sensor platform” that integrates multi-functional sensing materials on a flexible substrate. (University at Buffalo, Binghamton University, Stony Brook University, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Engineering, SUNY Polytechnic Institute)
• $15,000 for Informatics: This project will facilitate online access to SUNY’s informatics resources. The site will contain information about all relevant SUNY assets as well as contact information for experts who can provide further detail. (University at Buffalo, Stony Brook University, Binghamton University, Stony Brook University)
• $15,000 for Characterization: This project will facilitate online access to a database of over 250 laboratory resources and advanced materials testing and analysis equipment across the SUNY system. The database will contain information about each piece of equipment as well as contact information for local experts who can advise about their use. (SUNY Polytechnic Institute, Binghamton University, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Stony Brook University, University at Albany, University at Buffalo)
• $15,000 for Education & Outreach: This project aims to increase high school and undergraduate student interest in materials and advanced manufacturing. (SUNY Polytechnic Institute, SUNY Potsdam, Stony Brook University)

SUNY Materials and Advanced Manufacturing is one of five SUNY Networks of Excellence recently established to increase research collaborations and spur commercialization activities between SUNY and industry partners in core research areas. The others are SUNY 4E (Energy, Environment, Education, Economics), SUNY Health, SUNY Brain, and SUNY Arts and Humanities. A sixth network that will focus on teaching and learning assessment is also in the developmental stages.