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Read the original article here: https://www.bizjournals.com/cleveland/news/2025/09/19/case-western-reserve-national-science-foundation.html
A Case Western Reserve University-led coalition is one of 15 finalists competing for a $160 million National Science Foundation grant to help make Northeast Ohio "a national epicenter for advanced materials and industrial innovation over the next decade," according to the Cleveland university.
The consortium, NEO-SMART (Northeast Ohio Strengthening Manufacturing for American Resilience through Technology), emerged as one of 29 semifinalists in the foundation's Regional Innovation Engines Program. The final step of the national competition includes a site visit from the foundation in the next few months, CWRU said Friday in an article in its The Daily publication.
The NSF Engines program is designed to drive economic growth, enhance national security and create jobs by advancing critical technologies ranging from enhancing energy grid security and maximizing the yield of critical minerals mining extraction to advancing quantum computing, the National Science Foundation said in a statement.
"Ohio has a proud legacy of advanced manufacturing leadership, and NEO-SMART would take that legacy into the future," Gov. Mike DeWine said in the university's article. "By combining public investments, research capacity and workforce training, we’re not just building factories, we’re building opportunities for Ohioans across the state."
NEO-SMART is a partnership of more than 50 entities from industry, academia, job training, philanthropy and government sectors and includes large companies such as Avery Dennison, Avient Corp., Babcock & Wilcox, Bridgestone, Cleveland-Cliffs, GOJO Industries, Goodyear, Lincoln Electric, Lubrizol, Novagard, Peak Nano, Sherwin Williams, Smithers-Oasis and Swagelok, the university said.
Matching support from the regional NEO-SMART partners could further amplify the initiative's potential, CWRU said.
But small and mid-sized manufacturers are involved in the coalition, too.
"NEO-SMART is an unprecedented collaboration of industry, institutional and civic partners to accelerate innovation in materials and advanced manufacturing," Baiju Shah, president and CEO of the Greater Cleveland Partnership, said in the university's article.
"By leveraging our expertise in making things that matter, this initiative strengthens our region's position in technologies critical to America’s economic competitiveness and security," Shah said. "The business community is strongly invested in NEO-SMART as a catalyst for growth."
Read the original article here: https://www.bizjournals.com/cleveland/news/2025/09/19/case-western-reserve-national-science-foundation.html