CSU has been awarded the only 2020 Build to Scale Venture Challenge Award in the State of Ohio from the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) to establish the Entrepreneurial Manufacturer Digitization Support (EMDiS) Center of Excellence.

Dr. Jerzy Sawicki, Bently and Muszynska Endowed Chair and Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, is the PI for the grant and will lead the program. This $600,000 EDA investment will fund the establishment of the EMDiS Center of Excellence to bring state-of-the-art digital manufacturing tools to small manufacturers, specifically Tier 2 and Tier 3 suppliers, in the greater Cleveland metropolitan region. The EMDiS Center will address the gap small manufacturing companies face when considering, acquiring, and implementing cost-effective digital manufacturing technologies, helping them to become more productive, agile, and resilient even in the face of economic challenges and supply chain disruption.

EMDiS will consist of faculty and labs from CSU’s engineering and business colleges, supported by manufacturing experts at MAGNET. The Ohio Aerospace Institute will provide access to smaller aerospace manufacturers, OEMs and integrators, and the larger Ohio aerospace ecosystem. In addition, the AeroControlex Group will provide guidance on aerospace supplier requirements and digital tools/processes. CSU faculty participants will provide expertise from the fields of Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Engineering Technology, Supply Chain Management, Information Systems, and Education.