State Funding Awarded to Develop Youngstown Innovation Hub

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, Lt. Governor Jim Tressel and Ohio Department of Development Director Lydia Mihalik have announced creation of Ohio's fourth Innovation Hub in Youngstown, OH. This new collaboration will help strengthen Youngstown’s position as a global leader in additive manufacturing (AM) research, technology, and workforce development, according to hub leaders.

Funded with $26M from the Ohio Innovation Hubs Program and $36M in local, federal and private investment, the new Youngstown Innovation Hub for Aerospace and Defense will bolster economic development locally and statewide.

“Building on the region’s deep manufacturing roots, Youngstown has spent the last decade establishing itself as a leader in the research, development, and commercialization of additive technology,” says Governor DeWine. “With support from the Ohio Innovation Hubs Program, partners will now have added capacity to drive critical advancements in the defense and aerospace industries by transforming the way military equipment is made and strengthening our country’s national defense supply chains.”  

Additional Funding

In addition to state, local, federal and private investments, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources will contribute $1.2M to the Innovation Hub for Aerospace and Defense through the Abandoned Mine Land Economic Revitalization (AMLER) program. This funding will support the design and engineering of the new facility, as well as initial renovations. The AMLER program provides grants for economic development projects that benefit regions affected by decades of coal mining. 

In February 2023, America Makes—the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute, joined forces with the City of Youngstown, the Youngstown Business Incubator, the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber, state legislators, and business leaders to form a coalition vying for innovation hub funding from Gov. DeWine’s budget plan. Backed by partnerships and a track record in additive manufacturing research, technology, and workforce development, the coalition positioned Youngstown as an ideal site.

“Partners in this region have been laying the foundation for the Youngstown Innovation Hub for years, and it’s incredibly moving to see their hard work pay off,” says Lt. Governor Tressel. 

“For over a decade, we have collaborated with our members from industry, academia, government, and workforce organizations to drive additive manufacturing adoption and enhance U.S. manufacturing competitiveness,” states John Wilczynski, executive director of America Makes.“Together with our regional ecosystem partners, we have elevated Youngstown as the epicenter for market-ready additive manufacturing technologies. This initiative strengthens that foundation, aligning our capabilities with the defense and aerospace industries and empowering small-to-medium manufacturers to leverage advanced technologies for new opportunities in these critical sectors.”

The Youngstown Innovation Hub will be a catalyst in fortifying current and emerging supply chain manufacturing connections within the Mahoning Valley’s aerospace and defense sectors. “By enhancing these industries’ capabilities and expanding their market presence, the Hub will not only boost local industrial capacity but also pave the way for cutting-edge solutions to meet Ohio’s evolving needs,” says Kimberly Gibson, Ecosystem Director at America Makes. “Additionally, the technologies commercialized through the Hub for aerospace and defense will ripple into other sectors, including energy, medical devices, construction, and semiconductors.”

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Sources: Press materials received from the company and additional information gleaned from the company’s website.

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