Schumer Announces, Following His Push, Binghamton University Has Been Selected To Receive $20 Million In Fed Funding To Develop Cutting-Edge High-Tech Electrionics -- Funding Will Enable BU To Create 50-200 Jobs By Developing Next Generation Of Advanced Electronic Products At Its Center For Advanced Microelectronics Manufacturing

Press Release

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today announced that, following his push, Binghamton University (BU) has been selected to receive federal funds that will allow it to develop high-tech electronics and create local jobs. Schumer explained that FlexTech Alliance, a California based consortium of industry leaders in electronics manufacturing, worked with Binghamton University and a consortium of universities and companies across the country, to apply through the Department of Defense (DOD) to become a Flexible Hybrid Electronics Manufacturing Innovation Institute. Now that it has been selected for this prestigious designation, the entire consortium will be awarded a total of $100 million in federal funding to develop flexible hybrid electronics, a sophisticated technology found in advanced robotics, computers, biomedical and sensory devices, for manufacturing and production. BU, specifically, led the New York node of the application, and will now receive $20 million of that federal funding to work on the research and development portion of this project along with its local partners. Schumer said this award will boost the Southern Tier technology sector and bring good-paying jobs to the area.

"Securing this prestigious designation and $20 million in federal funding is great news for Binghamton University and its local partners. This award will not only allow Binghamton to serve as the project's hub for research and development and create good-paying jobs for potentially hundreds of people, but also put the Southern Tier on the map as an industry leader and place where high-tech electronics companies can do business for generations to come," said Schumer.

Schumer said this award has the potential to bring 50 local jobs within the first two years, and possibly create a total of 200 new jobs overall. Schumer explained the ripple effect of this award could mean 500 to 1,000 jobs for New York State over the next 7-10 years, as companies like i3 Electronics could win contracts to develop this technology, while others corporate partners like Lockheed Martin, BAE, Corning, Inc. and GE could win contracts to manufacture these technologies for both commercial and government use.

Schumer explained that, as a result of FlexTech and its consortium partners receiving award, BU's research and development for these high-tech electronics products will be housed in its Center for Advanced Microelectronics Manufacturing (CAMM). Schumer explained that FlexTech's application involved numerous research institutions and corporations across several states, including New York. BU worked extensively with its corporate partners to develop technology for their industries such as electronic packaging and reliability, thin chip-on-flex electronic systems-in-package technology, and 2.5D electronic imposers. Given its history in the high-tech manufacturing industry, Schumer said BU and CAMM -- for which Schumer played a leading role in securing the federal financial assistance that facilitated its establishment -- will be a perfect fit for the MII.

Schumer said BU sought out New York-based corporate research partners to assist its push to become a manufacturing innovation institute, such as General Electronic Global Resarch, Corning, Inc., and i3 Electronics, Inc. Schumer said now that FlexTech's application has been approved, $20 million will go directly to BU and CAMM will work on research and development for the project. This will pave the way for the creation of 50 to 200 jobs over the next two plus years. Schumer said other companies such as Lockheed Martin, BAE, Corning and GE could win system level contracts to integrate this hybrid technology for commercial and government use as well, which would have the potential to bring an additional 500 to 1,000 jobs to Upstate New York over the next 7-10 years.

The Manufacturing Innovation Institute initiative was launched by the White House and Department of Defense (DOD) to find opportunities to bring research institutions together with private companies to advance specific technological sectors. One of those sectors was flexible hybrid electronics (FHE), which combines advanced materials that flex with thinned silicon chips to produce sophisticated electronic products found in robotics, vehicles, infrastructure, and military equipment.

Schumer has long advocated on behalf of BU and CAMM. Over a decade ago, he secured the federal funding needed to establish the manufacturing center and has been a strong supporter of its work since. Schumer said winning this award would be a major step forward in putting BU and CAMM on the map as a leader in high-tech electronic research, development and production.

Source