SCHUMER, GILLIBRAND, MORELLE ANNOUNCE A WHOPPING $15 MILLION FEDERAL AWARD FOR UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER’S LASER DISCOVERY RESEARCH & JOB-CREATING ENGINE

Fed $$ Comes From NSF Engines Program Schumer Created In His CHIPS & Science Law

University Of Rochester's Laser Development Expansion Would Bolster Cutting-Edge Research, Create Good-Paying Jobs, Strengthen The Domestic Supply Chain, And Grow The Rochester-Finger Lakes' Economy

Schumer, Gillibrand, Morelle: New Fed $$ Will Boost Rochester's Leadership In Research, Development And Manufacturing Laser Technology

U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, and U.S. Congressman Joseph Morelle today announced the University of Rochester-led STELLAR Engine has been selected for a $15 million award through the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF)'s Regional Innovation Engines Program, which was created by Schumer's CHIPS & Science Law. This award builds on the lawmakers' previous work to supercharge laser technologies' growth across the Rochester-Finger Lakes region by advancing laser technology research, education and workforce development, company creation, and manufacturing.

"With this whopping $15 million National Science Foundation award, the future is bright for research, development, and manufacturing of cutting-edge laser technology in Rochester, the Finger Lakes, and Southern Tier - led by the University of Rochester. I created the NSF Regional Innovation Engines program in my CHIPS & Science Law with Upstate NY's world-renowned universities, world-class workforce, and innovation ecosystem in mind," said Senator Schumer. "The Rochester-Finger Lakes region has a proud history of excellence and innovation in optics, photonics, imaging, and lasers and will lead the charge to increase the domestic laser research and manufacturing so critical to America's global competitive advantage. I will continue to be laser-focused on delivering new federal investment to advance this cutting-edge work."

"The University of Rochester is a deserving recipient of this award, and I couldn't be prouder to see the STELLAR Engine recognized in the NSF Regional Innovation Engines competition," said U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. "The Rochester-Finger Lakes region has long been a hub of optical technology and advanced manufacturing, and this award - up to $160 million over the next decade - builds on that proud legacy. Laser technologies are critical to both manufacturing and national defense, and STELLAR strengthens the Buffalo-Rochester-Syracuse Tech Hub designation I was proud to fight for."

"Rochester has always been a place where big ideas become real-world breakthroughs, and today's announcement is another exciting chapter in that story," said Congressman Joe Morelle. "This investment will help create good-paying jobs, grow our local economy, and give more students and workers the opportunity to build careers right here in our community. I was proud to help secure funding for the NSF Engines program that made investments like this possible, and I congratulate the University of Rochester, the National Science Foundation, Senator Schumer, Senator Gillibrand, Governor Hochul, and all our partners for coming together to cement Rochester's place as a global leader in laser technology."

The University of Rochester's proposal, officially named "STELLAR: Advancing Laser Technologies in the Rochester NY/Finger Lakes Region," includes a diverse coalition of partners in the Rochester-Finger Lakes region focused on accelerating the development of cutting-edge laser technologies, expanding opportunities for both emerging and established manufacturers, and strengthening U.S. scientific leadership in a technology area key to America's global competitiveness. Schumer, who has long supported the University of Rochester's application for funding for the program, explained in a letter to former National Science Foundation Director Sethuraman Panchanathan that the STELLAR Engine will foster workforce development opportunities in laser technologies, particularly in underserved communities in Rochester and rural communities in the Finger Lakes, while accelerating use-inspired R&D, entrepreneurship, and regional business development that will create jobs, strengthen the supply chain, and help drive long-term economic growth across the region.

In 2024, Schumer helped the Binghamton University-led Upstate New York Energy Storage Engine win the esteemed competition in its inaugural year, bringing $15 million in federal funding immediately, with up to $160 million total over the life of the program from the NSF to supercharge cutting-edge battery research and manufacturing in Upstate NY. Earlier this year, the Binghamton University-led engine was selected as an awardee for the second phase of the program, bringing up to $45 million over the next three years. The University of Rochester's project will build upon the inaugural cohort's work of developing new state-of-the-art technology, driving innovation, and fostering economic growth in Upstate communities.

Schumer created the NSF's Regional Innovation Engines Program in his CHIPS & Science Law as a program that falls under the NSF Directorate of Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships. Schumer proposed the creation of this Directorate originally in his bipartisan Endless Frontier Act, with a focus on delivering investment in research, workforce training, and entrepreneurship in key technology areas like AI, semiconductors, quantum computing, biotechnology, climate-smart research, advanced materials, and more. The NSF Regional Innovation Engines program catalyzes and fosters innovation ecosystems across the United States to promote and stimulate economic growth, job creation, and regional innovation.

Each NSF Engine can receive up to $160 million over 10 years; actual amounts will be subject to a given NSF Engine's status and overall progress, as assessed annually.

The NSF funding award made today is being matched by $16 million in New York State support over the next six years, along with investment from other partners. The STELLAR (Science, Technology and Engineering for Laser and Laser Applications Research) project's key partners include the Institute of Optics and Laboratory for Laser Energetics (LLE) at URochester, Monroe Community College (MCC), Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), NextCorps, Greater Rochester Enterprise (GRE), and AmeriCOM. This NSF investment will further position the Rochester-Finger Lakes region as a global hub for the optics, photonics, imaging, and laser industry. The Rochester and Finger Lakes region is already home to more than 150 optics, photonics, imaging, and laser supply-chain companies, as well as institutions and facilities that are national leaders in the field.

This advancement in the NSF Engines competition would not have been possible without years of steadfast advocacy by Senator Schumer to both save and increase funding for Rochester's Laser Lab and the overall DOE ICF program, which supports the LLE, LLNL, and Sandia National Lab's Z Pulsed Power Facility. In 2018, after a budget proposal recommended defunding the Laser Lab within three years and eliminating hundreds of high-tech jobs in Rochester, Schumer launched an all-out push to reverse the closure plan and instead increase funding for the Lab. Later that same year, Schumer announced that he had been successful in his push to reject the proposed cuts, and since has consistently delivered robust funding increases to the Lab and ICF program to make discoveries like today's possible. The senator helped secure $75 million in FY2018, $80 million in FY2019 & FY2020, $82 million in FY2021, and $83 million in FY2022.

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