Pennsylvania awards $3 million to student-led manufacturing projects

The Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development on Wednesday announced more than $3 million in grants through the Manufacturing PA Innovation Program. 

 The grants support 47 student research projects across Pennsylvania that are partnering with businesses to advance manufacturing innovation. 

The projects are part of Manufacturing PA’s fellowship program, which joins together graduate and undergraduate students and local manufacturers to develop new technologies and advance innovation statewide.  

Universities can apply for up to $70,000 in funding for specific student research projects. 

The 47 projects support partnerships with local manufacturing companies through 21 Pennsylvania Universities across 19 counties. 

Among the projects, Thomas Jefferson University received $65,285 to partner with Bollman Hat Company in Lancaster County to create fashionable-integrated headwear for fall protection in aging adults. 

Lehigh University received $69,764 to work with Mussel Polymers Inc. on a project involving catechol functionalized binders for ceramic additive manufacturing. 

Since its inception in 2018, the Manufacturing PA fellowship program has granted over $21 million to 851 students across the state for 323 total projects, and 237 Pennsylvania companies have benefited from these partnerships. The program is administered by DCED and Carnegie Mellon University.