ADVANCED MATERIALS & PROCESSES | SEPTEMBER 2026 5 RESEARCH TRACKS OHIO LANDS $160M FEDERAL MANUFACTURING AWARD Northeast Ohio has been selected as one of 12 National Science Foundation Regional Innovation Engines, making the region eligible for up to $160 million in funding over the next decade to advance manufacturing through materials research, artificial intelligence, and workforce development. Led by Case Western Reserve University, the NEO-SMART coalition includes more than 70 partners from industry, academia, philanthropy, and government and emerged from a highly competitive national process involving hundreds of proposals. ASM International is proud to be a partner in the NEO-SMART coalition. The federal investment over 10 years will be subject to meeting performance milestones along the way. It begins with $7.5 million in each of the first two years, followed by $15 million annually for three years, and $20 million annually during the final five years. Partners have committed another $120 million during the first two years of the effort and hope to attract more than $500 million in combined public, private, and philanthropic investment. The initiative, known as NEOSMART—Northeast Ohio Strengthening Manufacturing for American Resilience through Technology—aims to capitalize on the region’s strengths in metals, polymers, chemicals, and coatings. Organizers envision Northeast Ohio becoming a national hub for advanced manufacturing by accelerating research discoveries from laboratories into commercial products while training workers needed to support that growth. Among the coalition’s goals over the next decade are creating or retaining 20,000 jobs across an 18-county region, training 12,000 workers for advanced manufacturing careers, increasing corporate research and development by 50%, supporting 150 research and development projects, helping launch 1000 new ventures, and providing more than 250 seed investments for startup companies. The effort also seeks to strengthen domestic supply chains serving multiple industries, including automotive, aerospace, defense, and medical devices. “The manufacturing challenges of the next decade will be solved by academic researchers, industry partners, and factory floor teams who work in collaboration to turn scientific insight into commercial reality,” Case Western Reserve University President Eric Kaler said. The NEO-SMART coalition grew on the premise that Northeast Ohio already possesses many of the ingredients needed for an advanced manufacturing ecosystem, including major industrial employers, research universities, community colleges, and specialized expertise in materials science. Major manufacturers participating include companies whose expertise ranges from specialty chemicals and coatings to tires, metals, and industrial manufacturing—companies such as Goodyear Tire & Rubber, Sherwin- Williams, Lubrizol, Bridgestone, Lincoln Electric, and Cleveland-Cliffs. The federal investment is intended to help those companies collaborate more closely with universities, expand research partnerships and speed new technologies into the marketplace. nsf.gov. NIST LAUNCHES CENTER FOR QUANTUM MANUFACTURING The U.S. Department of Commer- ce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) announced an agree- ment with SRI International, a nonprofit research and development institution, to help advance U.S. quantum research, development, and manufacturing capabilities. The agreement outlines that partner SRI will establish the Quantum Manufacturing Engineering Center (QMEC) to accelerate manufacturing of scalable, high-performance quantum components and systems to drive significant growth in the U.S. quantum industry. NIST will make an initial investment of $20 million in the center’s activities. The agreement advances the goals outlined in the Executive Order on Ushering in the Next Frontier of Quantum Innovation, and is another important step in implementing NIST’s Strategy for American Technology Leadership in the 21st Century to accelerate the progress of critical and emerging technologies from development to adoption, in close partnership with U.S. industry. The partnership will leverage SRI International’s mission to transition emerging technologies to impactful commercial use. NIST expects the new QMEC to accelerate breakthroughs in research and engineering that remove engineering and manufacturing barriers and demonstrate market adoption. The agreement supports NIST’s plan to coordinate innovative research efforts for accelerating the development and deployment of critical technologies in areas of national priority. nist.gov. Micrograph of a thin-film payload (orange) cooled by four pairs of tunnel junctions located at the corners of the payload. Courtesy of NIST.
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