Innovative NORDTECH R&D Projects Selected to Receive $30M in Federal Awards from U.S. Department of Defense

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Northeast Regional Defense Technology Hub (NORDTECH), a regional consortium of government labs, defense companies, academic institutions, and technology manufacturing organizations in New York State and one of eight hubs composing the U.S. Microelectronics Commons program, is proud to announce that four innovative projects have been selected by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) to receive significant federal funding. These projects are set to receive a total of more than $30 million in the technical areas of quantum and commercial leap ahead technologies. The dedicated work on these advanced projects is already underway.  

NORDTECH’s five founding members, who comprise the hub’s leadership team and governance committee, include the New York Center for Research, Economic Advancement, Technology, Engineering, and Science (NY CREATES), the University at Albany College of Nanotechnology, Science, and Engineering (CNSE), Cornell University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), and IBM.

See the Department of Defense News Release Here.

“This significant investment for NORDTECH will provide a major boost to our economy and further establish New York as a global leader in technology,” New York State Governor Kathy Hochul said. “I want to thank the Biden-Harris administration, Majority Leader Schumer, and all of our federal partners who passed the CHIPS and Science Act, which has helped build the next generation of semiconductor and microelectronic research, manufacturing, and job training right here in New York.”

Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer said, “Upstate NY is leading the future of innovation for America’s national security in the chip industry. Upstate NY’s top research institutions from Cornell and RIT to NY CREATES and more are now partnering with the Department of Defense to make the technology that will drive this industry for the next century. This significant $27+ million puts Upstate NY in the driver’s seat for the discoveries that the chip and defense industry say will be pivotal to the future of this technology. I crafted my CHIPS & Science Law with Upstate NY as my north star, because I knew that with targeted federal investments communities across New York could bring this industry back from overseas to America. Now from the Capital Region to Central NY to Western NY that is happening and this major award from the Department of Defense will help us seize this once-in-a-generation opportunity to drive new innovation and to train our workers to make sure major breakthroughs for the future of this technology are discovered and made here in the Empire State.”

“NORDTECH is honored to have our projects selected by the Department of Defense to accelerate the maturation of novel microelectronics technologies,” said NORDTECH Technical Director, Dr. Nicholas Fahrenkopf. “These newly funded research collaborations consisting of more than 20 different government and academic experts underscore our collective strength and dedication to meeting the Department of Defense's needs with high-end technological solutions.”