Iowa State partners with Illinois universities for manufacturing institute

Iowa State University is joining with Illinois universities to creating an institute, based in the Quad Cities, for research and training in advanced manufacturing.

ISU, the University of Illinois System and Western Illinois University on Friday announced the launch of the Quad Cities Manufacturing Institute during an event in Moline, Ill.

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The institute will be a catalyst for greater investment in the Midwest’s manufacturing sector and collaboration with defense partners like the Rock Island Arsenal, an Army installation in the Quad Cities, said Peter Collins, an ISU interdisciplinary engineering professor.

Researchers at ISU and the University of Illinois System already have experience working together.

Collins said he started working two years ago with William King, a professor of engineering at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, on technical projects supported by the U.S. Department of Defense.

The projects are aimed at protecting members of the military and their equipment, he said, such as developing new materials for lightweight armor.

“Iowa State University is proud to be part of this groundbreaking partnership to establish the Quad Cities Manufacturing Institute,” Iowa State University President Wendy Wintersteen said in a statement.

“This initiative will bring to bear our strengths as a land-grant university — fostering collaboration, conducting advanced research and developing innovations that support the local workforce and drive economic growth.”

Why Quad Cities?

The idea of a larger initiative bringing in universities, community and industry partners to expand manufacturing research and work had been floating around the Quad Cities for some time, with locals in support of the Department of Defense advocating for its creation.

Collins said if a circle with a 60-mile radius is drawn around the Quad Cities region, it would include 800 manufacturers.

“This is a fruition of a lot of investment by local folks here, as well as the universities, so this is always kind of been where we want it to be,” Collins said. “So with the concept of the institute, I would say the elements of that preceded the technical work that was ongoing.”

Workforce

ISU and the University of Illinois System will take the lead on research projects for the institute while Western Illinois University, based in Macomb, will focus on workforce development, Collins said.

“The launch of the Quad Cities Manufacturing Institute marks a pivotal moment in Western Illinois University’s commitment to innovation and workforce development,” Western Interim President Kristi Mindrup said in a news release.

The collaboration, she said, will drive technological advancements and “nurture a highly skilled workforce for the Quad Cities region and beyond.”

Collins said the universities met with community colleges in the area Friday to talk about workforce development opportunities. St. Ambrose University in Davenport and Augustana College in Rock Island, Ill., also will be tapped in the future for collaboration on programming and training.

Industry partners

While the Rock Island Arsenal is an important and obvious first partner in the institute, other companies also are playing a part in the institute, including John Deere, Collins said.

“We’re going to be focusing on the research, but if we only do that without figuring out how to translate it into the hands of end users and industry and Rock Island Arsenal, then we’re kind of failing at our job,” he said.

The institute is being funded by investments by the universities as it becomes established, Collins said. As it expands, the institute will seek funding through grants and contracts with government and industry partners.

Tim Killeen, president of the University of Illinois System, said in a statement the institute is a “powerful example” of driving economic opportunity and growth through partnerships in the public and private sectors.

This article first appeared in the Iowa Capital Dispatch.