Rendering of the future Center for Manufacturing Competitiveness
A $6.5 million state grant has positioned Penn State Behrend to begin construction of the Center for Manufacturing Competitiveness, an industry-facing research facility and the centerpiece of the college’s Project RESOLVE.
The grant was awarded through the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP), with support from the region’s legislators, including State Sen. Dan Laughlin and State Rep. Robert Merski. RACP grants advance regional projects that are likely to increase employment, tax revenues, and other measures of economic activity.
The new grant builds on an array of federal, state, local, and University support for the Center for Manufacturing Competitiveness, including:
- $3 million from Penn State • $2.5 million in federal funding, secured by U.S. Sen. John Fetterman
- $2.5 million in American Rescue Plan funding, provided by Erie County
- $2.5 million in Erie County Gaming Revenue Authority funding, awarded by Erie County
- $1.5 million in RACP funding, awarded in 2023
“Project RESOLVE is an ambitious, long-range initiative that will frame the next generation of manufacturing in the Erie region and beyond,” Chancellor Ralph Ford said. “We are grateful to Gov. Shapiro, Sen. Laughlin, Rep. Merski, Erie County Executive Brenton Davis, and the many other county and local leaders who see the potential in RESOLVE and the Center for Manufacturing Competitiveness and continue to support it.”
With the new funding in place, Penn State Behrend can finalize architectural plans and begin construction of the Center for Manufacturing Competitiveness, which will include plastics and metal-casting labs. The center, which will be built in Knowledge Park, will also house the nation’s first heavy-haul battery testing facility, where researchers and industry partners will work to improve the safety and efficiency of battery packs for the rail, marine, and mining industries.
“With our history of university-industry engagement and the market strength of Erie-based transportation, plastics, and metal-casting companies, we are uniquely positioned to advance the adoption of new technology and equip the region’s workforce with the skills to use it,” said Dr. Amy Bridger, assistant dean for innovation and corporate strategy at the college. “With the support of multiple partners, including the state lawmakers who endorsed and advocated for our RACP application, we are now able to move forward.”
The Center for Manufacturing Competitiveness is a focal point of Project RESOLVE, a ten-year regional effort to shift the region’s manufacturing companies to a circular economic model. The center will support companies as they invest in their operations and transition to sustainable technologies that will ultimately reduce pollution in and near the region’s freshwater resources, including Lake Erie.
Workforce training in the metal-casting sector has already begun. Those programs, funded through a $4.4 million grant from the Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation, complement the college’s longstanding plastics-training initiatives.
“By including voices from industry and all levels of government in the planning and design of the Center for Manufacturing Competitiveness, we have created a relevant model of industry engagement that has been broadly and enthusiastically supported across a diverse set of stakeholders,” Bridger said. “Ultimately, the measure of success is the increased investment by manufacturers in their facilities and employees—an investment that will make their businesses more competitive, generating economic impact across the region—and the opportunities that it creates for our students, many of whom go on to work in these industries.”