Published in the Business Journal
July 28, 2010 6:48 a.m. By Dan O'Brien
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio -- U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan says his recent appointment to the U.S. House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee is already starting to pay off. Ryan announced Tuesday that the fiscal 2011 defense-spending bill includes $37.5 million for projects in the 17th District, $17.5 million of which is earmarked for research and development efforts in the Mahoning Valley.

"Normally, we'd end up with $6 million or $7 million," Ryan said during a telephone interview from Washington. "Now we have closer to $40 million, and this isn't just a one-shot deal. This is directly the result of our new position."

Ryan, who was appointed to the subcommittee in April following the death of its chairman, U.S. Rep. John Murtha, D-12, Pa., said that this round of funding takes the vision of building a "tech belt" between Cleveland and Pittsburgh from a concept to reality.

"This is all about cutting-edge research and development," Ryan noted. The funds, he emphasized, touch upon a wide range of projects affecting advanced materials research, alternative energy, biosciences and biotechnology.

The goal is not only to commit funds to research and development activity but also to develop a new manufacturing base that creates products originating from this work, Ryan relates. "I want to use this as an opportunity to resuscitate our manufacturing," he said.

"Our local universities and research institutions are doing some of the most sophisticated research and development work in the country," Ryan said. "And I intend to leverage my position on the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee to position Northeast Ohio as a leader in advanced materials manufacturing and alternative energy technologies."

Funding proposals recommended by the committee include $4.79 million for Youngstown State University and its administration of the Ohio Enhanced Defense Alternate Energy Suppliers program. That program would be a collaborative effort between YSU, the proposed Tech Belt Energy Innovative Center in Warren and the Youngstown Business Incubator.

The program would identify new technologies to improve fuel economy and provide alternate energy and power sources for defense applications.

Warren Mayor Michael O'Brien called funding to develop the Energy Innovation Center a "key development for continued development in the city-bringing new vitality to downtown and new job growth to the region."

YSU was also awarded $3.5 million toward an effort to develop new lightweight, high-strength composite material that could be used for military transportation vehicles.

Another $9.25 million is to be devoted to projects related to Advanced Methods in Innovation, or AMI, a collaboration between YSU and the Youngstown Business Incubator that promotes advanced manufacturing, high-tech research, and development and technology transfer applications.

Among the AMI projects considered for funding are $3 million for research into new methods of making stainless steel more durable and resistant to corrosion, thereby reducing energy consumption in energy-intensive industrial processes.

Another $1.5 million is earmarked to develop a multimodal biometric patient identification and registration system. The money would be used to develop hardware and software that can create a link to a patient's portable health care record through the development of a biometrics information security and information science research center.

And, $4.75 million would be used to develop a simulation tool that could improve the fielding and use of weapons systems. The project would use model-based enterprise, or MBE, tools to establish and validate processes for the U.S. Army.

YSU President Cynthia Anderson praised Ryan for his continued support for the university. "These allocations allow YSU to continue to play a leading role as an engine for the type of research and development activities needed to help this region's economic rebound," she said in a statement.

Other funding initiatives included in the bill are:

• $1 million to the University of Akron to redesign materials to reduce the weight and cost of mortar base plates
• $3 million for a defense metals stockpile pilot program at the Defense Metals Technology Center at Stark State College
• $3 million for the Defense Metals Tech Center
• $5 million for the Austen BioInnovation Institute of Akron to improve orthopedic quality in the region
• $3 million for the Southwest Research Institute to develop combined laser and drug therapies to accelerate and improve scar healing process
• $3 million to CureSearch for pediatric cancer research and clinical trials. This program expands a Department of Defense effort that institutes genome-wide screening for therapeutic targets in high-risk childhood cancer. Funding will benefit Akron Children's Hospital and five other children's hospitals in Ohio.

The defense-spending bill must first clear the House Appropriations Committee, the full House and Senate, and then be signed by the president.

These allocations, Ryan said, allow the region to "ramp up in a significant way," and let people know around the world about Northeast Ohio.

Copyright 2010 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio