SCHUMER APPLAUDS UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER’S LASER DISCOVERY RESEARCH & JOB-CREATING ENGINE NAMED FINALIST FOR NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION “INNOVATION ENGINES” PROGRAM – CREATED[...]

Schumer Helped Create NSF Engines Contest Through His CHIPS & Science Law & Last Year, Schumer-Supported And Binghamton University-Led Battery Research Hub Won Inaugural NSF Engines Competition

University Of Rochester's Proposed Laser Development Expansion Would Bolster Cutting Edge Research Creating Good-Paying Jobs, Build A Laser Science Talent Pipeline, Bolster Supply Chain, And Grow Rochester-Finger Lakes Economy

Schumer: Rochester Advances As National Leader In Laser Technology

U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer today applauded the University of Rochester-led STELLAR (Science, Technology and Engineering of Laser and Laser Applications Research) project has been named a finalist for the esteemed U.S. National Science Foundation's Regional "Innovation Engines" Competition (NSF Engines), which was created by his CHIPS & Science Law. Schumer said the project is one of 15 finalists, and competition winners are eligible for $15 million in federal funding, with up to $160 million total over the life of the program from the NSF to supercharge laser technologies' growth across the Rochester Finger Lakes region by advancing laser technology research, education, company creation, manufacturing, and workforce development.

"Rochester is advancing in the nationwide contest to become one of the hubs for the cutting-edge laser technology that will define America's future. I created the NSF Regional Innovation Engines program in my CHIPS & Science Law with Upstate NY's world-renowned universities and innovation ecosystem in mind. I'm thrilled to see the University of Rochester and its many partners reach the final round of the competition for major federal investment to boost American laser innovation and grow new jobs and businesses across the Rochester Finger Lakes region," said Senator Schumer. "The astonishing scientific advancements being made at Rochester are recognized across the world and are vital to building America's future. This is an exciting moment for the Rochester region and I will continue to fight to bring new federal investment to advance this cutting-edge work."

The University of Rochester's proposal, officially named "STELLAR: Advancing Laser Technologies in the Rochester NY/Finger Lakes Region," is focused on establishing a diverse coalition of partners in the Rochester-Finger Lakes region to accelerate laser discovery, technological advancement, education, and company creation, drive manufacturing and boost workforce development in order to help recapture U.S. national competitiveness and strengthen our security. Schumer has long supported the University of Rochester's application for funding for the program, explaining in a letter to former National Science Foundation Director Sethuraman Panchanathan that the STELLAR Engine will foster laser-oriented workforce development, particularly in underserved communities in Rochester and rural communities in the Finger Lakes, accelerate use-inspired R&D, entrepreneurship, and regional business development that will create jobs, build a laser science and technology talent pipeline, bolster the supply chain, and grow and sustain the region's economy.

Last year, Schumer helped the Binghamton University-led Upstate New York Energy Storage Engine win the esteemed competition in its inaugural year, bringing $15 million in federal funding immediately, with up to $160 million total over the life of the program from the NSF to supercharge growth and cutting-edge research in battery development and manufacturing in Upstate NY. The projects selected this year will build upon the inaugural cohort's work developing new state-of-the-art technology.

Schumer created the NSF's Regional Innovation Engines Program in his CHIPS & Science Law as a program that falls under the NSF Directorate of Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships. Schumer proposed the creation of this Directorate originally in his bipartisan Endless Frontier Act, with a focus on delivering investment in research, workforce training, and entrepreneurship in key technology areas like AI, semiconductors, quantum computing, biotechnology, climate-smart research, advanced materials, and more. The NSF Regional Innovation Engines program catalyzes and fosters innovation ecosystems across the United States to promote and stimulate economic growth, job creation, and spur regional innovation.

Each NSF Engine can receive up to $160 million over 10 years; actual amounts will be subject to a given NSF Engine's status and overall progress, as assessed annually. The teams selected in this recent announcement will submit full proposals to NSF, with final awards made later, pending appropriations.

This advancement in the NSF Engines competition would not have been possible without years of steadfast advocacy by Senator Schumer to both save and increase funding for Rochester's Laser Lab and the overall DOE ICF program which supports the LLE, LLNL, and Sandia National Lab's Z Pulsed Power Facility. In 2018, after a budget proposal recommended to defund the Laser Lab within three years and eliminate hundreds of high-tech jobs in Rochester, Schumer launched an all-out push to reverse the closure plan and instead increase funding for the Lab. Later that same year, Schumer announced that he had been successful in his push to reject the proposed cuts, and since has consistently delivered robust funding increases to the Lab and ICF program to make discoveries like today's possible. The senator helped secure $75 million in FY2018, $80 million in FY2019 & FY2020, $82 million in FY2021, and $83 million in FY2022.

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