Canton Township will soon become home to a $148 million Lightweight and Modern Metals Manufacturing Innovation Institute, President Obama said in an announcement from the White House Tuesday afternoon.
The institute is going to be led by the University of Michigan, Ohio-based manufacturing technology nonprofit EWI and The Ohio State University. UM engineering professor Allen Taub will be the chief technology officer at the new institute.
EWI led a consortium of 60 universities, businesses and organizations, including Focus: HOPE, Macomb Community College and the Southeast Michigan Workforce Intelligence Network that applied for and won the right to locate the institute in Canton. The businesses involved in the consortium, according to the White House, are leaders in the areas of aluminum, titanium, and high-strength steel manufacturing.
Along with UM, Michigan State University and Wayne State University are also part of the consortium.
Canton Township Supervisor Phil LaJoy was at the White House for the announcement and was recognized by the president in his remarks.
The institute is expected to open this spring; one source said a building has been identified in Canton Township to locate the institute, but that a lease has not been signed.
The goal of the research institute is to take the innovations made in laboratories with lightweight metals and use them commercially in automobiles, aircraft and other industries. The long-term goal of the institute is to expand the market and create new consumers for lightweight metals and alloys, according to the White House.
"We've got to focus on advanced manufacturing," Obama said during his remarks.
The president said Detroit has already helped lead the comeback in manufacturing, and that he doesn't want the next big innovation to come from Germany or Japan, but from here in America.
Jeff Mason, executive director of the University Research Corridor, said the institute will be a tremendous opportunity in the areas of new materials and lightweight metals, which will be essential to meet the coming federal fuel economy standards.
"It's all about powertrain and materials and taking weight out of the vehicles," Mason said.
The institute will build on ongoing research at UM, which in 2012 received a $12.3 million, five-year federal Materials Genome Initiative grant to help shorten the length of time it takes to bring a new material to market. That process can take between 10 and 20 years.
Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano said in a statement that the positive impact of the new institute will be felt for generations.
"The R&D that comes from the consortium will help create the materials and manufacturing blueprint for the cars, trucks, airplanes and ships of tomorrow," Ficano said.
The institute will receive $70 million in federal funds over the next five years. The members of the consortium will contribute an additional $78 million and the Michigan Economic Development Corp. will contribute $10 million.
"That Michigan was selected serves as a testament to the great manufacturers, universities and workers who make our state the global leader of innovation," Gov. Rick Snyder said in a statement.