The University of Texas System Board of Regents approved funding to help launch a $30 million nanoelectronics initiative. The cornerstone of the initiative will be a nanoelectronics research center at the university. UT System will participate with the state of Texas, Texas Instruments and other industry partners in a proposal to create the Southwest Academy of Nanoelectronics, which Electrical Engineering Professor Sanjay Banerjee will direct. The initiative also calls for recruiting talented nanoelectronics experts to hold research/faculty appointments at three UT institutions.
The proposal, when completed, will go forward for approval to the Nano Electronics Research Corporation, a not-for-profit organization that funds nanoelectronics technology-oriented research programs across the country. Currently NERC has funded two other new nanoelectronic research centers at the University of California, Los Angeles and at State University of New York (SUNY) at Albany. If funding is approved, the Texas center, headquartered at UT Austin, would be the country’s third new university-based nanoelectronic research center.
In addition to the research center in Austin, the proposal would also fund the recruitment of “top talent” in the field of nanoelectronics with research/faculty appointments to three UT institutions – UT Arlington, UT Austin and UT Dallas. The $30 million initiative will be equally supported by Texas industries, the UT System and the State of Texas. The Regents approved $10 million for funding facilities, labs and capital equipment for eight senior faculty members. Additional startup support - including salary, additional equipment and operations support - would be funded through a research superiority grant from the Texas Emerging Technology Fund (ETF). Ten million dollars would also be raised by Texas Instruments and other industry partners to fund endowments for distinguished chairs for the eight “top talent” research faculty recruited through SWAN.
The proposal, approved today (July 14) by the UT regents, authorizes the Chancellor to finalize and execute the necessary documents to secure the ETF grant and present the SWAN proposal to NERC for its approval. A decision by NERC is expected later this month.
Nanoelectronics is a multi-disciplinary field that includes materials, processes, and devices for the electronics, defense, automotive, aerospace, and energy industries. Nanoelectronics is the required technology that enables the semiconductor industry to revolutionize the way it performs advanced manufacturing. SWAN will be a partnership between university-based academic researchers and private companies to collaborate in producing cutting-edge discoveries in nanoelectronics, as well as nanostructured devices and materials for electronics applications.
“This important initiative is critical to assure that Texas’ universities take the lead in this emerging field and drive overall economic development and new job creation in Texas, “ said Robert E. Barnhill, vice chancellor for research and technology transfer. “It is well known that nanotechnology - and more specifically nanoelectronics - will be very important to the economic growth of this state. Nanoelectronics is directly applicable to the semiconductor industry. We look forward to partnering with the state and industry as we work to position Texas as the leader within this industry.”
“This nanoelectronics initiative will help establish Texas as a leader in the nation for nanoelectronics education, research, commercialization and manufacturing,” said Mark G. Yudof, chancellor of the UT System. “As this effort moves forward we look forward to incorporating other universities in making this a model of collaboration between the state, universities and industries in attracting the best scientific talent to our state and in producing cutting-edge technologies that will lead to new industries, job growth and economic development in this region.”
The UT System is one of the nation's largest higher education systems with 15 campuses, including nine academic and six health institutions, and an annual operating budget of $9.6 billion (FY 2006). Student enrollment exceeds 185,000 in the 2005 academic year. The UT System confers one-third of the state's undergraduate degrees and educates three-fourths of Texas health care professionals.
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