December 15, 2006
Cleveland State University Wins $23.8 Million for Wright Center of Innovation for Ohio

Row 1:
President Michael Schwartz Cleveland State University
Governor Robert Taft, State-of-Ohio
Jack Kleinhenz, CEO, Kleinhenz and Associates, (foreground)

Row 2:
Mark Tumeo, Vice Provost for Research and Dean of the Graduate College, Cleveland State University
Chris Mather, Vice President-Instruments, Controls, Electronics, Nanotechnology, NorTech
Mike Ward, President, Linear Dimensions
Kenwood Hall, Vice President, Architecture & Systems Development, Rockwell Automation
Donald Majcher, Vice President, Collaborative Research, Ohio Aerospace Institute
Terrell Pim, President, Systems Technology Research Institute
Bill King, President and CEO, Essential Research
Julian Earls, Executive-in-Residence, Cleveland State University

Row 3:
Jeff Melzak, Vice President, Engineering, FLX Micro
Liangyu Chen, Packaging Technology Researcher, Ohio Aerospace Institute
Dorothy Baunach, President and Executive Director, NorTech
Charles Alexander, Dean, Fenn College of Engineering, CSU, Director, Ohio ICE
Joseph Keithley, President and CEO, Keithley Instruments, Director, Ohio ICE
Shiva Shastry, Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering, The University of Akron
Rick Earles, Vice President and Deputy Director, Glennan Microsystems, Inc. (background)

Watch: Press Conference

A 33-member partnership — led by Cleveland State University — has been awarded $23.8 million from the State of Ohio’s Third Frontier Program to establish a Wright Center of Innovation for Ohio on Cleveland State’s downtown campus.

Gov. Bob Taft announced the award at a standing-room-only news conference on the Cleveland State campus today.

The Wright Center for Sensor Systems Engineering (WCSSE) — a statewide network of industry, higher education, and government agencies – will provide over $51 million in matching funds to augment the $23.8 million seed grant to operate a “one-stop shop” for industry working on integrating sensor systems into their products.

In a highly competitive bidding process, Cleveland State partnered with 32 academic, corporate, nonprofit and government collaborators to make its case for the coveted Center. Partners include Case Western Reserve University, The University of Akron, Kent State University, The Ohio State University, the University of Cincinnati, Wright State University, Rockwell Automation, Keithley Instruments, the Timken Corporation, the Air Force Research Laboratory, the Ohio Aerospace Institute and NASA Glenn Research Center.

“This is one of the greatest achievements in Cleveland State’s history and in my 44 years in higher education,” said an exuberant CSU President Michael Schwartz. “Winning this Center says that Cleveland State is one of the big kids on the block. This is critically important for us. Even before today’s announcement, Cleveland State had surpassed other Ohio schools in the National Science Foundation rankings of universities by research expenditures. There is a great deal to be proud of at this institution.”

“We couldn’t be happier. This is outstanding news for everyone who worked so hard on this proposal and for the future of Ohio,” added Mark Tumeo, Vice Provost for Research and Dean of the College of Graduate Studies at Cleveland State.

Ohio is home to many businesses that make sensors or have the potential to do so. The challenge is coming up with ways to use sensors to do meaningful work for industry. Computer hardware, software and decision-making technology are needed to make sense of signals gathered by sensors.

“This Center will build on the current trend in technology that shows a need for smaller, faster, and cheaper sensors that can be efficiently integrated with market-based applications. More specifically, to capture this burgeoning sensor and electronics market, the WCSSE will bring together the top component and electronics packaging, networking, and data management experts to develop sensor-based applications for a broad set of market areas with an emphasis on system integration and engineering,” said Dr. Tumeo.

Third Frontier funding will be used for Center development and operations over three years. The Center likely will generate revenue from membership and consulting fees, as well as licensing of intellectual property. Industry/university partners have already committed over $51 million to the Center.

The Cleveland State team, as well as teams representing the University of Toledo and the University of Dayton Research Institute, were selected as the three Wright Center finalists from a field of 200 in late summer. Teams made their final presentations in Columbus in September. The final decision was made today by the Third Frontier Commission.

“The partners in this Center represent corporate, academic, government and nonprofit interests from Cleveland to Columbus to Dayton to Cincinnati. It is a very complicated matter to write a proposal in sensor technology that achieves the aims of this broad group,” noted President Schwartz. “This was achieved largely through the efforts of Vice Provost Tumeo and Dean Charles Alexander of our Fenn College of Engineering.

“This is a day of great pride for Cleveland State University.”