More Than $116 Million to Support UMaine System Universities Secured by Senator Collins in Funding Bill in First Key Step
Washington, D.C.--U.S. Senator Susan Collins, a senior member of the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee, announced that she secured a total of $116,747,000 for 26 projects across the University of Maine System in the draft Fiscal Year 2023 appropriations bills. The bills, which were officially released by the full Senate Appropriations Committee today, must still be voted upon by the full Senate and House.
“The brilliant faculty and students at Maine's public universities and at the flagship university are conducting cutting-edge research and making promising discoveries in a wide variety of fields. Earlier this year, the University of Maine’s groundbreaking achievements and commitment to excellence were recognized when it received a well-deserved designation as one of the nation’s elite research universities. In addition, the System’s world-class education is preparing the next generation of leaders and professionals to power our economy today and into the future,” said Senator Collins. “I strongly advocated for funding for these exciting projects across UMS that would advance its mission, promote workforce development, and support more research breakthroughs by UMaine that will benefit Maine and America, from the forest products, seafood, and agriculture industries to PFAS and tick-borne diseases.”
“I am particularly pleased that this funding includes $10 million for UMaine’s Factory of the Future, which builds on the $35 million I secured for this state-of-the-art facility in March,” Senator Collins continued. “The University of Maine’s Advanced Structures and Composites Center is pioneering the use of cutting-edge materials and techniques under the visionary leadership of Dr. Habib Dagher. The Factory of the Future will catalyze this research to transform the manufacturing and transportation sectors of our economy as well as spur advancements for a number of other applications. I am proud to continue to support the excellent work of the faculty, staff, and students.”
“Maine’s congressional delegation rightfully recognizes that the University of Maine System is a vital statewide educational and economic asset that uniquely drives growth and opportunity here and in the region. On behalf of our entire System, I want to thank the delegation led by Sen. Collins for championing this significant federal funding that will strengthen our ability to collaborate to better serve the state and world through cutting-edge education and research that will further attract more talent, innovation and investment to Maine,” said Chancellor Dannel Malloy.
“We are incredibly grateful to Sen. Collins and the Maine congressional delegation for their efforts in helping secure such significant federal funding for our universities,” said UMS Vice Chancellor for Research & Innovation and UMaine President Joan Ferrini-Mundy. “These projects leverage our System’s signature strengths and community connections, especially the world-class research capacity of the University of Maine, the only R1 institution in our state. Our delegation’s leadership reflects a deep commitment to the students of Maine, ensuring that they have access to world-class educational opportunities, are trained in state-of-the-art facilities, and are equipped with the knowledge and skills necessary to address the challenges of our modern world.”
Senator Collins secured $35 million for UMaine’s Factory of the Future in the FY22 government funding bill that was signed into law in March.
Details on the 26 University of Maine System projects Senator Collins requested are below:
Advanced Manufacturing Research
“Sen. Collins' effective leadership for over two decades has been essential to advancing major research and economic development initiatives. The $10 million in funding for the Factory of the Future will allow us to add a second bay focused on solutions for Maine’s housing crisis. The goal is to develop 3D printing technologies for low-income homes using low-cost forest-based feedstock,” said Habib Dagher, executive director of the UMaine Composites Center.
Advanced-Manufacturing Materials Research
Recipient: University of Maine System
Project Location: Orono, Maine
Amount Requested: $33,000,000
Project Purpose: For construction of the digital research Factory of the Future at the University of Maine to advance large-scale, bio-based additive manufacturing using advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence, high performance computing, and collaborative arrays of large 3D printers and subtractive systems. Funding will also support a second manufacturing bay and immersive workforce training facilities. The funding includes $8,000,000 Senator Collins secured in the Fiscal Year 2023 Commerce, Justice and Science Appropriations bill and $25,000,000 in the Fiscal Year 2023 Defense Appropriations bill, which brings the total FY2023 funding available for this initiative to $33,000,000.
Composites Materials for Transportation Infrastructure and Resilience
Recipient: University of Maine System
Project Location: Orono, ME
Amount Requested: $1,975,000
Project Purpose: To support research to develop composite materials that reduce the cost and improve resilience of vital transportation assets including bridges and coastal structures.
PFAS
"We are grateful for Sen. Collins' support to establish a PFAS Research Center at the University of Maine,” said UMaine Cooperative Extension Dean Hannah Carter. “PFAS is unfortunately a universal issue and Maine is taking a proactive and transparent approach to protect the public. These funds will allow the state's R1 university to be at the forefront in providing testing, public education and outreach, and technical assistance to farms so we can also lead the way to understanding how these chemicals work and mitigating their negative effects on humans, the environment and our agricultural economy."
PFAS Research Center at the University of Maine
Recipient: University of Maine System
Project Location: Orono, Maine
Amount Requested: $5,000,000
Project Purpose: To purchase the equipment needed to set up a PFAS analytical laboratory at the University of Maine, which would serve the monitoring needs of the entire State.
University of Maine PFAS Research Center: Informing Farm Management Decisions
Recipient: University of Maine System
Project Location: Orono, ME
Amount Requested: $3,000,000
Project Purpose: To fund research to help inform short-term management decisions for farms experiencing PFAS contamination.
Ticks
“Combating threats from ticks in our state and region is an immense challenge that relies heavily upon an integrated approach that includes comprehensive tick surveillance, management and outreach,” said University of Maine Cooperative Extension Tick Lab Coordinator Griffin Dill. “The CDS funding requested by Sen. Collins will enable us to take a proactive approach to monitoring tick populations in Maine, research novel management strategies, and provide targeted outreach to those that are most at risk of encountering ticks. Additionally, we will be able to provide STEM education to students that combines hands-on experiential learning with comprehensive tick-borne disease prevention training. The CDS-funded expansion of our tick program is a unique opportunity to help mitigate the threats associated with ticks and tick-borne diseases.”
Tick-Borne Disease Prevention in Northern New England
Recipient: University of Maine System
Project Location: Orono, ME
Amount Requested: $2,500,000
Project Purpose: To support the University of Maine Tick Lab's establishment of a coordinated system of tick and tick-borne pathogen surveillance and risk communication in northern New England to address the staggering growth of the tick population in the region.
Tick-Borne Disease Management Strategies
Recipient: University of Maine System
Project Location: Orono, ME
Amount Requested: $2,021,000
Project Purpose: To identify alternatives to conventional pesticides designed to kill ticks and examine the intersection between climate and alternative tick management interventions.
Tick-Borne Disease Rural Public Health Outreach
Recipient: University of Maine System
Project Location: Orono, ME
Amount: $1,653,000
Purpose: To support targeted public health outreach and education to rural communities in order to prevent tick-borne diseases.
Workforce/Business Development
“Aroostook County leads Maine in the percentage of its older residents who have lost all of their permanent teeth to dental diseases. The federal funds Senator Collins is working to secure will allow the University of Maine at Augusta to expand its growing dental workforce degree programs currently offered in Bangor and Lewiston to the University of Maine at Presque Isle, preparing more in-demand dental assistants and expanded functions dental assistants for this underserved rural area. In addition to academic program start-up costs, CDS funds secured by Senator Collins with the support of the Maine Congressional Delegation will be used to launch a new dental lab on the Presque Isle campus where our students will get high-impact, hands-on training providing free and reduced community dental services, including to area Veterans. We think this partnership will be a real game-changer in improving the oral, public and economic health of the County,” said UMPI President Ray Rice and UMA President Joe Szakas in a joint statement.
University of Maine System Nursing Education Simulation
Recipient: University of Maine System
Project Location: Augusta, ME
Amount: $4,500,000
Purpose: To support facility expansion and simulation equipment to increase nursing enrollment throughout the University of Maine System.
Dental Workforce Training and Care Expansion to Northern Maine
Recipient: University of Maine System
Project Location: Presque Isle, ME
Amount: $750,000
Purpose: To support the facility construction and equipment needs of a new dental lab at the University of Maine at Presque Isle, with the goal of training an additional 20 dental assistants annually.
University of Maine Cybersecurity Professional Training
Recipient: University of Maine System
Project Location: Augusta, ME
Amount: $500,000
Purpose: To support a cybersecurity training certification program offered by the University of Maine at Augusta for Maine municipalities and other public organizations that uses adjustable simulation models.
University of Maine-Augusta Aviation Maintenance Technician School
Recipient: University of Maine System
Project Location: Brunswick, ME
Amount: $400,000
Purpose: To launch a higher education degree program at Brunswick Landing in aviation maintenance where students will learn how to repair and maintain certified aircraft, expanding the pipeline of aviation professionals to fill in-demand jobs.
Maine Entrepreneurship Fellowship and Incubator
Recipient: University of Maine System
Project Location: Orono, ME
Amount Requested: $300,000
Project Purpose: To fund a University of Maine small business education fellowship program that will provide incubator support, technical assistance, and training to accelerate startup businesses and create jobs in Maine.
Maine Law School Legal Aid Clinic
Recipient: University of Maine System
Project Location: Portland, ME
Amount: $17,000
Purpose: To expand Maine Law's public service legal aid clinic to prepare students for professional practice, including by acquiring essential technology items for the clinic.
Seafood/Agriculture Research
“Maine’s 485 wild blueberry growers are facing new challenges from increasingly globalized markets, changing labor availability and the impact of climate change on their production, “ said UMaine Assistant Professor of Agricultural Entomology Philip Fanning. “We are incredibly grateful to Senator Collins for her continuing leadership and efforts to secure this critical federal funding that will enable our Blueberry Hill research farm located in the heart of Maine wild blueberry production to be the center for the modern science and innovation necessary to maintain the livelihoods of growers and the jobs associated with the industry Down East and throughout our state.”
"Through her leadership, Sen. Collins is helping to secure a future of innovation and prosperity for hundreds of Maine wild blueberry farms and businesses,” said Wild Blueberry Commission of Maine Executive Director Eric Venturini. “The University of Maine's Blueberry Hill Farm is the only dedicated wild blueberry research facility in the country. This facility, and the university's incredible team of wild blueberry research and Extension faculty and staff have helped this industry grow from producing 20 million pounds of fruit per year, to today, when crops frequently exceed 100 million pounds. This critical investment would modernize Blueberry Hill Farm and bring it to the next level – a hub of innovation and problem solving that will help Maine's wild blueberry farms and businesses diversify into value-added production, explore efficiencies in harvesting and processing, and increase resilience to climate change threats like drought. It is strategic investments like these that will grow this industry's impact on Maine's economy beyond the current estimate of $250 million per year, and that will sustain and grow Maine's iconic wild blueberry industry and the thousands of jobs that it supports well into the future.”
Seawater Supply Lines for UMaine's Coldwater Aquaculture Center
Recipient: University of Maine System
Project Location: Franklin, ME
Amount Requested: $3,500,000
Project Purpose: Improvements to operations and security at USDA National Cold Water Marine Aquaculture Center.
Advancing Small Business Development
Recipient: University of Maine System
Project Location: Washington County, ME
Amount Requested: $2,997,000
Project Purpose: To provide training and technical assistance to small wild blueberry growers and to support research and new technologies for sustainability and efficiency at the University of Maine’s Blueberry Hill Farm in Jonesboro.
University of Maine Food Innovation Center
Recipient: University of Maine System
Project Location: Orono, ME
Amount Requested: $2,500,000
Project Purpose: To grow Maine's land- and water-based food economy by providing workforce development and services for small agriculture and aquaculture producers, including through food processing services, production scale-up, food safety consulting and testing.
Maine Agriculture Industry Innovation and Growth
Recipient: University of Maine System
Project Location: Orono, ME
Amount Requested: $1,000,000
Project Purpose: To develop a strategic plan to support Maine's small-scale agricultural workforce and business growth.
Downeast Institute Marine Research
Recipient: Downeast Institute
Project Location: Beals, Maine
Amount Requested: $670,000
Project Purpose: To support shellfish research and hatchery activities at the facility that serves as the marine research campus for the University of Maine at Machias.
Facility Improvements
“On behalf of all of us at the University of Maine at Fort Kent and the entire St. John Valley, I want to thank Sen. Collins for her tireless work to secure funding to make badly needed renovations to Fox Auditorium, which was built in 1969,” said UMFK President Deb Heeden. “Whether hosting a town meeting or a drama production put on by the local high school, this facility is a cornerstone of the community that provides opportunities for connection, celebration and culture so important to preserving the quality of life and heritage of our rural region. This investment will ensure Fox Auditorium can continue to play a leading role in bringing our community together for generations to come.”
University of Maine at Fort Kent Facility Renovation
Recipient: University of Maine System
Project Location: Fort Kent, ME
Amount Requested: $4,000,000
Project Purpose: To renovate an antiquated campus facility that is widely utilized by both the university and broader local community for essential education and cultural and community programming.
Cohen Institute
“We are extremely grateful for Sen. Collins’ support of the William S. Cohen Institute’s proposal to forge an innovative partnership between UMaine and public high schools around the state to train the next generation of public service-minded leaders. The Cohen Institute, in the spirit of its namesake Sec. William S. Cohen, is uniquely positioned to develop the leadership capacity of Maine’s young people in a way that is thoughtful, innovative, independent-minded, and civil. These have been guiding values for Sen. Collins in her exemplary career in public service and this investment will help future generations continue in that tradition,” said UMaine William S. Cohen Institute for Leadership & Public Service Director Richard Powell.
University of Maine Cohen Institute Public Service Education Partnership
Recipient: University of Maine System
Project Location: Orono, ME
Amount: $464,000
Purpose: To support a partnership between the UMaine Cohen Institute and Maine high schools to train the next generation of public service-minded leaders. Participating students will earn college credits while still in high school, engage in a residential leadership program on the UMaine campus, and receive active mentoring and support in post-graduation career placement.
Other University of Maine Research Initiatives
Advanced Manufacturing - Bio-Based Composites
Amount: $20,000,000
Purpose: Funding will support the development of additive manufacturing involving nano-cellulose feedstock materials made from forest products. This is an ongoing partnership between UMaine and Oak Ridge National Lab.
Additive manufacturing of unmanned maritime systems
Amount: $10,000,000
Purpose: Funding will support continued work using UMaine’s large 3D printer to prototype unmanned surface vehicles.
Advanced textiles and shelters
Amount: $6,000,000
Purpose: Funding will support UMaine’s continued partnership with Army Natick on developing rapidly deployable shelters.
Structural Thermoplastics for Army Ground Vehicle Systems.
Amount: $6,000,000
Purpose: Funding will support composites research partnership with U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Ground Vehicle Systems Center (GVCS) to develop, build, test and evaluate structural thermoplastic components for vehicles.
Polar Proving Ground
Amount: $2,000,000
Purpose: Funding will support UMaine’s partnership in Alaska to provide a Polar proving site for academic research.
Secure Composite Shipping Container Research
Amount: $2,000,000
Funding will support UMaine’s continued partnership with the Department of Homeland Security to develop secure shipping containers using thermoplastic composites and help scale up the production methods of these containers.
