State Dollars Help EMTEC Get Seat on Federal Omnibus
COLUMBUS, OHIO (December 22, 2004) - Governor Bob Taft today congratulated the Edison Materials Technology Center (EMTEC) in Dayton for receiving $3 million in federal funding as part of President Bush's Omnibus Budget Appropriations Act of 2005, signed into law on December 8. The money, which will be used to further research and development in hydrogen fuel cell technology, follows several investments the State of Ohio has made in fuel cell technology at EMTEC within the last three years – critical endorsements EMTEC needed in order to establish program viability and secure the federal funding.
" I congratulate EMTEC for this preeminent funding and I'm confident the Center's research will further Ohio's already solid position as an international leader in fuel cell technology." said Taft. "EMTEC's success is an example of how Ohio's approach to developing collaborations between companies, universities and state government is setting the standard for scientific breakthroughs that change the world in which we live."
Established in 1987, EMTEC is part of the State's Edison Technology Center program, which links industry, academia and government in partnerships to strengthen industrial competitiveness through educational and technical services, networking opportunities, training, and business and economic studies. The Ohio Department of Development annually provides each of the seven Edison Technology Centers located throughout Ohio with State funds to support research, development and commercialization initiatives within their specified technology areas. EMTEC leverages its annual $1.8 million with private and federal funds to accelerate materials-related technology development and commercialization. Targeted markets include automotive, tooling and machining, metal casting, polymers and composites, nanomaterials, and alternative energy markets such as fuel cells.
In the area of fuel cell technology, EMTEC is working to develop more efficient, cost-effective fuel cells, as well as to develop the production, storage and processing technologies needed to support a hydrogen economy. Because of its abundance and environmentally friendly composition, hydrogen is an ideal alternative energy resource that can be used to generate power by fuel cells. EMTEC and their collaborative teams have received more than $1.7 million from Governor Taft's Third Frontier Project to develop manufacturing processes that will improve solid oxide and PEM fuel cells; the addition of the federal funding will enable EMTEC to expand its capabilities in hydrogen-based infrastructure and related technologies.
According to Frank Svet, EMTEC's president and CEO, securing State funding was a critical benchmark for the Center in its efforts to acquire its recent federal funding. "The State's continued support of our efforts enabled us to demonstrate to the Department of Energy that EMTEC has a solid and sustainable track record of accomplishments that renders us an ideal organization for technology development. This is testament to not only EMTEC's ability to deliver solutions to America's energy problems, but also to the State's commitment to keeping Ohio at the forefront of the fuel cell industry."
State Development Director Bruce Johnson said the alignment of the Ohio's various technology programs is key to helping Ohio's technology industry succeed. "EMTEC is a prime example of how established programs like the Edison Technology Centers can work hand-in-hand with more recent programs like the Third Frontier Project to set the bar for technological excellence."
