EIGERlab manufacturing center to receive funding

The EIGERlab advanced manufacturing center in Rockford, Ill., has been granted $300,000. The funding, secured by Congressman Don Manzullo (R-IL), is included in the 2006 Science-State-Justice-Commerce Appropriations conference report, which the House passed today and the Senate is expected to approve soon before it heads to the President for his signature.

The $300,000 will go to Rockford Area Ventures to help offset the cost of the small manufacturing business incubator and technology research and development center it established at the EIGERlab. So far this year, Rockford Area Ventures has helped 80 clients research, develop, and commercialize their ideas primarily in the micro-manufacturing and micro-machining areas.

"Once again, the U.S. Congress has funded the EIGERlab and endorsed its mission to make Rockford the advanced manufacturing capital of the world," Manzullo said. "This $300,000 will help Rockford Area Ventures provide more assistance to entrepreneurs aiming to develop and commercialize manufacturing technologies in the U.S. It will go a long way to help our country maintain its world leadership in innovation and advanced manufacturing."

To date, Manzullo and U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), and Barack Obama (D-IL), and former U.S. Senator Peter Fitzgerald (R-IL), have secured more than $12 million for projects at the EIGERlab since it opened in May of 2004. Nearly half of that federal funding — $6 million — goes to Northern Illinois University for work performed at the EIGERlab on the Defense Department's Future Combat Systems program. Another $2.25 million goes to Alion Science and Technology for work performed at the EIGERlab on new micro-manufacturing technologies for the Defense Department. Rockford Area Ventures has now received $1.8 million in federal funds to operate the small manufacturing commercialization center. Also, Ingersoll Machine Tools received a $2 million Advanced Technology Program grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce earlier this year for work to be done at the EIGERlab.

More information about EIGERlab can be found here.