WASHINGTON -
Today, U.S. Sens. Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich and U.S. Reps. Steve Pearce, Ben Ray Luján and Michelle Lujan Grisham announced that they are urging the Department of Defense to select a proposal led by a team that includes the University of New Mexico in a competition to create a national photonics hub. The team, a collaboration of academic institutions from New Mexico and three other states, was named a finalist earlier this year. If selected, it will receive federal funding and support and become part of a network of regional manufacturing institutes or "hubs" across the country that help bridge the gap between applied research and product development. The hub would spur the development of cutting-edge technology and create high-tech jobs in the Albuquerque area.
The New Mexico congressional delegation has strongly supported the UNM team's application, which would establish the first such manufacturing hub west of the Mississippi as part of the Integrated Photonics Institute for Manufacturing Innovation (IP-IMI) program. Photonics technologies are used in robotics, medical imaging, next-generation displays, defense, biometric security and many other fields. The group could receive $110 million in federal grant matching funds to develop a partnership between industry, government and academia to accelerate the creation of new photonics technologies. UNM would serve as the lead sensing hub, focusing on the development of integrated phonic sensors for chem-bio sensing.
In a letter to Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter, all five members of New Mexico's congressional delegation expressed their strong support for the proposal.
"This team will bring together government, industry and academia to develop this manufacturing ecosystem here in the U.S. They have broad talents and proven track records in microelectronics and chip packaging, as well as significant expertise in world-class photonics manufacturing," the letter reads. "New Mexico's unique capabilities in Mid Infrared photonic systems have served our DOD and commercial industries for decades. UNM will stand up the New Mexico Hub on Sensing-Integrated Manufacturing for Mid-infrared Photonic Applications Technology (IMMPACT) which will work toward self-sufficiency."
"The U.S. photonics industry currently supports more than 100,000 high-paying jobs, a number that could double within the next decade as new photonic-electronic chips find their way into products and technologies across many industries," the letter continues. "The combined team's established research and development in critical areas of this technology, coupled with its electronics and photonics packaging expertise, will build a pipeline of innovation and talent for this high-tech industry."
The UNM team is led by the Information Science Institute at the University of Southern California and also includes the University of California system schools in Los Angeles, San Diego and Berkeley; Arizona State University; and Ohio State University. The team is competing against two others based in New York and Florida. Full and final applications are due by March 31, and the final selection is expected in June 2015.
The full text of the letter is
HERE
and below:
The Honorable Ashton B. Carter
Secretary
U.S. Department of Defense
1000 Defense Pentagon
Washington, DC 20301Dear Secretary Carter:
We are writing to express our strong support for the proposal submitted by the University of Southern California's (USC) Information Sciences Institute (ISI) Team to establish a new Integrated Photonics Institute for Manufacturing Innovation (IP-IMI).
USC ISI and its partners at University of New Mexico (UNM), the University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA), the University of California-Berkeley (UCB), the University of California-San Diego (UCSD), Arizona State University, and the Ohio State University, as well as numerous industry partners, will establish a reliable photonics manufacturing capability to serve both our Department of Defense (DOD) and commercial markets. Ultimately, the USC IP-IMI will be an end-to-end integrated photonics manufacturing "ecosystem."
This team will bring together government, industry and academia to develop this manufacturing ecosystem here in the U.S. They have broad talents and proven track records in microelectronics and chip packaging, as well as significant expertise in world-class photonics manufacturing. They also can leverage complementary expertise in serving commercial and DOD industries, a key to the success of the IP-IMI initiative. New Mexico's unique capabilities in Mid Infrared photonic systems have served our DOD and commercial industries for decades. UNM will stand up the New Mexico Hub on Sensing -Integrated Manufacturing for Mid-infrared Photonic Applications Technology (IMMPACT) which will work toward self-sufficiency.
New Mexico has a long history of innovation and collaboration in the development and deployment of DOD technologies, as well as Department of Energy (DOE) programs. Our state is home to Sandia National Laboratories, Los Alamos National Laboratory, and the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL). We have nationally-recognized programs in workforce education and training at the UNM and Central New Mexico Community College. UNM, Sandia, Los Alamos and AFRL also have strong relations with a wide network of small to medium sized manufacturers, as well as the major industrial companies involved in photonics research and applications. New Mexico also has the New Mexico Optics Industry Association (nmOptics), a non-profit association recognized by the International Society for Optics and Photonics (SPIE) as an industry leader which promotes the growth of the optics and photonics industry in our state.
The U.S. photonics industry currently supports more than 100,000 high-paying jobs, a number that could double within the next decade as new photonic-electronic chips find their way into products and technologies across many industries. The combined team's established research and development in critical areas of this technology, coupled with its electronics and photonics packaging expertise, will build a pipeline of innovation and talent for this high-tech industry.
We believe that the USC ISI proposal has merit, and we urge you to give it thoughtful consideration. Thank you for your attention to this request.
Sincerely,Tom Udall, United States Senator
Martin Heinrich, United States Senator
Stevan Pearce, United States Representative
Ben Ray Luján, United States Representative
Michelle Lujan Grisham, United States Representative
