Joseph Spector

Albany Bureau Chief

ALBANY — The Rochester Institute of Technology will receive a $70 million federal grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to lead a national consortium that will develop new ways for clean energy in manufacturing.

Sens. Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand announced the award for the Clean Energy Manufacturing Innovation Institute after they and Rep. Louise Slaughter pressed for the money in recent months.

The RIT-led consortium aimed at improving manufacturing efficiency and sustainability will include more than 100 research universities, national laboratories and private companies, including Purdue and Yale, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Xerox and Caterpillar, lawmakers said. There is the promise of direct jobs, but the goal — much like with the photonics institute — is to create a research hub that attracts companies working in the field.

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Nabil Nasr, RIT associate provost and director of the Golisano Institute for Sustainability, will be the point person for the institute, officials said. RIT expects to host a news conference on Wednesday, with DOE representatives and others.

“RIT has been leading the way in revolutionizing our manufacturing sector for years, and there is no one better suited to host this new CEMII site,” Schumer said in a statement obtained by the Albany Bureau for the USA Today Network.

The money will be allocated over a three-year period and will be matched by RIT itself, the senators said. Slaughter said matching funds would come from the consortium, and be bolstered by private investment.

Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz toured the region in October at Schumer's invitation as RIT looks to research and develop ways to reduce emissions and other pollutants in the manufacturing sector.

The project seeks to increase manufacturing sales in the U.S. by 50 percent, aiming to help revive the region and state's once prominent manufacturing industry, advocates said.

RIT expects to add 50 jobs, the senators said.

Gillibrand said RIT was already at the "cutting edge" of clean-energy research.

"And these funds will help ensure that the university stays in this strong position for years to come," she said in a statement.

Slaughter, D-Fairport, said the grant will bolster the Rochester area's high-tech developments.

The state and federal government are partnering separately on a $600 million photonics center that includes RIT and the University of Rochester. Both are under the National Network for Manufacturing Innovation (NNMI) program — also known as Manufacturing USA — that aims to strengthen advanced manufacturing capabilities nationwide through a network of up to 15 public-private institutes. Others located elsewhere are focused on lightweight metals, 3-D printing, smart sensors.

Rochester is possibly the only city in the country to land two institutes, Slaughter said during a conference call Tuesday evening. She called Nasr "the ideal person" to lead the institute.

"This new institute will strengthen our economy, create jobs, and build on our reputation as a global leader in manufacturing innovation," she said in a statement released earlier in the day.

Mayor Lovely Warren echoed those remarks, saying in a statement: "The clean energy consortium will bring jobs and prosperity to our entire region, and RIT is a great choice to run a 21st century job-creating tech engine. Our residents need more access to good jobs in order to succeed."

Includes reporting by staff writer Brian Sharp.