The New Energy New York Storage Engine which is anchored at Binghamton University will receive up to $15 million for two years and up to $160 million over 10 years to establish a hub that will accelerate innovation technology translation and the creation of a skilled workforce to grow the capacity of the domestic battery industry.
Through Empire State Development, New York State will match up to 20 percent for the first five years of the project as well as provide support through established programs. The NENY Storage Engine was chosen for its diverse, cross-sector coalition that will build a leading ecosystem driving battery technology innovation, workforce development and manufacturing to support U.S. national security and global competitiveness.
“With this transformative National Science Foundation grant, we are putting Binghamton and all of New York State back at the cutting edge of manufacturing and innovation,” Governor Kathy Hochul said. “The modern era of battery technology was born right here in New York, and thanks to Majority Leader Schumer, President Biden and New York’s congressional delegation, the CHIPS and Science Act is helping to ensure that the future of batteries is built here as well.”
The NENY Storage Engine was one of sixteen national finalists for this designation across the country, out of an original pool of 188. The proposal came from the NENY project, a coalition led by Binghamton University, a leader in lithium-ion battery research, in a region that has become renowned for its battery manufacturing capabilities. NENY’s proposal brings together diverse partners to tackle the battery technology value chain and ensure the U.S. is ready as demand grows for electric vehicles and reliance on battery storage grids increases. This includes chemistry research, new components and applications, and recycling plans. The coalition is comprised of 14 industry partners, 50 networked sector companies, 4 core university partners, 5+ high-tech incubators, 17 vocational & tech training partners and 3 international collaborators.
The NSF Engines represent one of the single largest broad investments in place-based research and development in the nation’s history – uniquely placing science and technology leadership as the central driver for regional economic competitiveness. The announcement delivers on the bipartisan priorities outlined in the “CHIPS and Science Act of 2022,” which authorized the NSF Engines program. Launched in May 2022, the NSF Engines program uniquely harnesses the nation’s science and technology research and development enterprise and regional-level resources.
