CORVALLIS, Ore. (KTVZ) — Two Oregon State University-led efforts focused on microfluidic technology for semiconductors and the design and manufacturing of mass timber have each received $500,000 in grants from the White House.
In October 2023, the White House, through the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration, announced the designation of 31 tech hubs, including two led by Oregon State University.
The $500,000 Consortium Accelerator award from the Department of Economic Development will enable the two Oregon-led efforts to continue implementing a tech hub strategy focused on establishing the Pacific Northwest as a national leader in these areas within 10 years.
Led by Oregon State University, the Corvallis Microfluidics Tech Hub (CorMic) is a partnership of more than 60 organizations developing, scaling and manufacturing microfluidic technologies. Microfluidics refers to the precise control of small amounts of liquids used in thermal management of semiconductors, biotechnology and advanced materials and manufacturing.
CorMic advances the commercialization of microfluidic technologies through collaboration between universities, technology companies and community groups, and develops the microfluidic workforce to support it.
“The accelerator award from EDA is an important boost for CorMic,” said Tom Weller, Tech Hub leader and Michael and Judith Gaulke Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. “It allows us to continue to advance our plans to expand the Willamette Valley region’s global leadership in microfluidics and create new companies and job opportunities in the region.”
The Pacific Northwest Mass Timber Tech Hub aims to become a global leader in mass timber design and manufacturing to reduce the construction industry’s carbon footprint and improve housing affordability.
Building on the region’s wood products research and development expertise and abundance of experienced architecture, engineering and construction companies, the tech hub will invest in advanced materials science to mainstream bulk timber as a viable and sustainable construction alternative.
“This award will bring industry together across Washington and Oregon to advance workforce needs, fiber supply, modular systems development, capital access and innovation support,” said Ian MacDonald, tech hub leader and director of the Tallwood Design Institute, a collaborative research institute of Oregon State University’s College of Forestry and Engineering and the University of Oregon’s College of Design and Built Environment. “Our region is a national leader in the burgeoning field of low-carbon, high-volume wood construction, with the goal to become a globally competitive region within 10 years.”
The Tech Hub Program is a key initiative of the Biden-Harris Administration’s Invest in America policy, supporting regional efforts to expand production of critical technologies, including semiconductors, quantum computing, autonomous systems, biotechnology, clean energy, critical minerals, innovative materials and advanced manufacturing.
“The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to building a world-class ecosystem across the country that advances America’s global leadership in future technologies, spurs the creation of good quality jobs, and strengthens U.S. national and economic security,” said Commerce Under Secretary for Economic Development Alejandra Y. Castillo. “These Consortium Accelerator awards demonstrate the level of excellence embodied by all designees and will enable tech hubs to not only maintain their momentum but also leverage their coveted designation to attract further collaboration and capital.”
About the OSU School of Forestry: For a century, the School of Forestry has been a global center of teaching, learning and research. It offers graduate and undergraduate degree programs in ecosystem maintenance, forest management and wood product manufacturing, conducts basic and applied research on the nature and uses of forests, and manages more than 15,000 acres of university forestland.
About OSU College of Engineering: The college is a global leader in artificial intelligence, robotics, advanced manufacturing, water purification and energy, materials science, computing, resilient infrastructure and health-related engineering. Boasting the nation’s largest and most productive engineering program, the college awards more bachelor’s degrees in computer science than any other university in the U.S. The college ranks second among the nation’s land-grant universities and fifth among the nation’s 94 public R1 universities in the percentage of tenured or tenure-track engineering professors who are women.
