NE Ohio polymer industry hopes for big boost from federal funds

The University of Akron, Case Western Reserve and Kent State universities and the Northeast Ohio region's entire polymer industry will get a new research and development center — if backers win $17 million in federal funding.

"This investment stands to be a game-changer for Akron and Northeast Ohio," said Chris Helsel, senior vice president of global operations and chief technical officer at Akron-based Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., via email. "There's no question that this initiative will attract top talent and high-growth businesses to the area and drive other powerful economic outcomes for the community and companies of all sizes."

Proponents expect to know in September if the project will become a reality, as that's when they'll learn whether the region's application for $75 million in Build Back Better Regional Challenge grant funding succeeds. The polymer cluster initiative is the biggest single component of that request.

Those who worked on the application say they're optimistic because the regional proposal is one of only 60 national finalists, selected from 529 applications in March. Federal officials have said they plan to select between 20 and 30 of the remaining proposals for funding.

"We made the toughest cut. We believe we have a really stellar application," said Ethan Karp, CEO of the manufacturing support organization MAGNET, the official applicant for the federal funding.

Plus, proponents contend, support for the polymer cluster dovetails perfectly with a current national drive to bolster domestic manufacturing, after seeing international supply chains fail in recent years. That's a priority for the U.S. Economic Development Administration, which will decide who gets Build Back Better grant funding, said Steve Millard, head of the Greater Akron Chamber.

"We believe that a strong polymer supply chain in Northeast Ohio advances many of the things the EDA cares about with regards to the national supply chain," Millard said.

If the effort succeeds, plans call for the new polymer center to be built at the University of Akron over the next two to three years. It would conduct polymer research and perform testing for local manufacturers and work with them to prototype and scale up production of new polymer-based products.

All three of the local universities' polymer programs would use the center and participate in its work, but Akron might have the most to gain.

"This would be a game-changer for us," said Ali Dhinojwala, UA's H.A. Morton Professor of Polymer Science, who would be the university's point person for developing the new facility.

Such a development would come at a critical time for the university, he said. While Akron's post-graduate polymer programs have struggled with the loss of some key researchers in recent years, the school is rolling out its first undergraduate program for polymer science this year. In February, it was named the top polymer school in the world by the global ranking agency EduRank.

"That was really great for us, and I think all of this will give us the momentum that we need," Dhinojwala said.

The grant money and private funding would be used to build a 20,000-square-foot facility on campus — the specific location has not been determined — that would enable faculty and students from Akron and the other schools to work closely with manufacturers, Dhinojwala said. Ultimately, he hopes the center becomes self-funding via contracts with manufacturers and then grows larger.

"It's going to be a new building and a site that's really appropriate for this building, but also for expanding to build a hub around it," Dhinojwala said.

On top of the $17 million in federal funding, companies in the local polymer industry have pledged more than $8 million in matching funds, from companies including Goodyear and Bridgestone Corp., for the center, Dhinojwala said.

The center also would enable more collaboration between the universities, faculty members said.

"There have been a lot of individual collaborations, and we're friends with the faculty at Akron, but there hasn't been a lot of structure to it," said João Maia, professor and director of the Center for Advanced Polymer Processing at CWRU. "Maybe this cluster and center will help take it to the next level and make it more formal. … If we get together, we're going to make Northeast Ohio unbeatable in terms of polymers in the United States."

Maia said the center would help CWRU augment its polymer department's faculty of nine — soon to be 10, he said — by providing technicians and equipment to help CWRU with some of the work it does with industry. The university works with manufacturers on polymer products ranging from self-lubricating razors to colostomy bags that don't make crumpling noises when a user moves, he said.

The support behind this effort is broad and deep. In addition to the universities and MAGNET, the Greater Akron Chamber has been heavily involved, as have Team NEO, Akron's Bounce Innovation Hub and the Akron Urban League.

They've been assisted by JobsOhio and more than 20 companies — ranging from giants Goodyear, Bridgestone and Parker Hannifin Corp. to lesser-known entities such as Akron's location for German auto supplier Röchling Automotive — that have helped work on the grant proposal and have pledged matching funds, said Brian Anderson, senior director of research at the Greater Akron Chamber.

Many give the Akron Chamber much of the credit for assembling the proposal. For about two years, it has been working on ways to support the local polymer cluster, which MAGNET reports represents 40% of a statewide industry, representing more than 2,800 companies and 140,000 workers.

"The Greater Akron Chamber drove the formation of the polymer cluster, and the great thing about it was they were already up and running. We worked with them for about a year," said Team NEO's CEO, Bill Koehler. "Team NEO had an interest in it because of the strong polymer cluster we have throughout Northeast Ohio."

Polymers are becoming more important as more applications for them are found in advanced manufacturing and as they become sought-after as materials for additive manufacturing, or 3D printing, Koehler said.

"The polymer industry has greater significance in Northeast Ohio because of that today than it did perhaps 20 years ago," he said.

Winning the money, though, is far from a done deal.

Those who have worked on the proposal say they've ticked a lot of key boxes, such as emphasizing an industry that already is strong in the region; picking a category that supports manufacturing supply chains; ensuring that their proposal represents an inclusive and diverse mix of entities and people; and showing regional public-private support and collaboration.

"I think that is the reason we made the first cut," MAGNET's Karp said of the broad support. "That and the fact that equity is woven throughout this. It's not an afterthought."

But backers are also cautious not to count chickens while their eggs are still incubating with federal decision-makers.

"Let's wait for them to come home to roost, but I'd say we have a decent shot," said CWRU's Maia. "These things are highly competitive. … But for polymers, there's really no other region of the country that can approach Northeast Ohio in terms of knowledge and (manufacturing) end users."

Meanwhile, local interest in the polymer cluster generally continues to grow. Anderson said the Akron Chamber is on track to build the cluster's advisory panel to represent 50 companies.

"We've pretty consistently added a few members per month, so the goal of 50 at the end of the year, I think we'll hit that," Anderson said.

And if they don't win the grant money? Those backing the industry cluster say they'll continue to work to find ways to support its growth.

"There's a lot of work being done from a strategy perspective to continue the work. If we don't win, that will keep going," Koehler said. "I think win or lose, some really good stuff is going to come out of this."