Congress Approves $750,000 for UMaine Semiconductor Research Secured by Senator Collins
The funding now heads to the President to be signed into law
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Susan Collins, Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced that she secured $750,000 in Congressionally Directed Spending for the University of Maine (UMaine) System in the Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24) Energy and Water Development appropriations bill. The bill, which was included in legislation that passed the Senate today, now heads to the President to be signed into law.
“The University of Maine conducts important research on ways to strengthen Maine’s clean energy economy,” said Senator Collins. “This funding will be used to develop new materials that will help to advance decarbonization operations throughout New England, leading to job opportunities and reduced emissions.”
“In direct response to the needs of industry in the state and beyond, the R1 University of Maine has built world-class semiconductor research and development capabilities over the past three decades,” said UMaine Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering Mauricio Pereira da Cunha. “We thank Senator Collins for appreciating this strong leadership and recognizing how our cutting-edge science and technology that works in high temperature harsh environments is vital for several demanding applications in the energy sector, such as in next-generation electric vehicles and high-temperature power plant environments.”
This funding will support UMaine’s efforts to develop new wide band gap semiconductor materials, which have been identified as essential for large-scale decarbonization efforts, such as in the operation of electric vehicles, and in harsh service condition environments, such as in nuclear power generation, hydrogen production, and industrial applications.
In 2021, Congress reinstituted Congressionally Directed Spending. Following this decision, Senator Collins has secured more than $500 million for hundreds of Maine projects for FY2022 and FY2023. As the Vice Chairman of the Appropriations Committee, Senator Collins is committed to championing targeted investments that will benefit Maine communities.
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