University at Buffalo - The State University of New York

Sen. Charles Schumer told those attending a press conference in Barbara and Jack Davis Hall that a $120 million federal grant that UB is pursuing would be “the oil that will help kick-start this economic engine for Western New York.” Photo: NANCY J. PARISI

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• “I am bringing all hands on deck to launch UB’s unique research center to the top of the charts.”

  Sen. Charles Schumer

By SUE WUETCHER

Published: July 19, 2012

Sen. Charles E. Schumer visited UB on Monday to reinforce his support for the university’s application for a $120 million federal grant to pursue materials research within the university’s Center of Excellence in Materials Informatics.

The grant, which UB has applied for preliminarily, would provide five years’ worth of funding for cutting-edge research that would transform the Center of Excellence into a Department of Energy “innovation hub” with the potential to generate hundreds of private-sector jobs.

This Department of Energy designation would expand research on materials science that could lead to the development of innovative new materials, including synthetic substitutes for rare earth elements; new clean-energy alternatives; and biomedical and life sciences technology, as well as advanced manufacturing.

Speaking at a press conference in Barbara and Jack Davis Hall on the North Campus, Schumer stressed that these areas of scientific research generate solutions for some of the nation’s greatest challenges and that federal support for leading-edge research in major industry clusters is key to unlocking large-scale business development in Western New York—just as it has at the College of Nanoscale Science & Engineering at the University at Albany.

“The new UB Center of Excellence has the framework and expertise to become a national leader for advanced materials research, and I am bringing all hands on deck to launch UB’s unique research center to the top of the charts. If the Department of Energy and other federal partners invest in UB’s cutting-edge research, new technology and high-tech companies are sure to follow,” Schumer said, calling the Department of Energy grant “the oil that will help kick-start this economic engine for Western New York.”

President Satish K. Tripathi said the grant funding would provide an exciting opportunity, not only for UB and its research enterprise, but for the region and state as well.

“The establishment of a New York State Center of Excellence in Materials Informatics at UB will position our university and our region at the forefront of the emerging field of materials science—a rapidly expanding field with tremendous and wide-ranging social relevance,” Tripathi said.

“As Sen. Schumer recognizes, securing federal funding will be key: This initiative simply will not move forward without it. We are very grateful for his recognition of the great potential of our new Center of Excellence, and his strong leadership in helping to move it forward.”

UB’s Center of Excellence in Materials Informatics will focus on a number of critical research areas that are in line with both national priorities and Western New York’s regional strengths. President Obama highlighted research in materials science as a major national research effort and UB is well-positioned to capitalize on this new federal priority.

UB’s Center of Excellence could help lead in the development of synthetic substitutes for critical rare earth elements that are critical to the growth of high-tech businesses and manufacturers, and help industry avoid the volatile pricing of these important resources from countries like China—a major national security imperative.

Schumer cited UB’s research into the production of synthetic, rare earth elements as one of many advances in materials research that could give high-tech businesses and manufacturers across New York a competitive advantage in the global market.

Moreover, materials research could help support the growing biomedical and life sciences industries in Western New York, providing critical breakthroughs in the development of the next generation of medical devices and using data-intensive analysis to improve health care outcomes.

The push for new funding for UB’s Center of Excellence in Materials Informatics follows a meeting in June, at Schumer’s request, involving the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and senior UB researchers. That meeting focused on new opportunities for federal funding to support pioneering research in materials informatics. It also helped White House staff gain a better understanding for UB’s growing capabilities and strengths, and laid the groundwork for long-term federal investment in Western New York.

Schumer’s support for UB’s preliminary application to the Department of Energy for the $120 million research grant is the first of a number of potential federal research opportunities in Western New York that could include partnerships with the National Science Foundation, the Department of Defense and the Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency.