# Engineering Research Centers

Engineering Research Centers (ERC) are university-led institutions developed through the National Science Foundation (NSF) Directorate of Engineering. While ERCs are initially funded by the NSF, they are expected to be self-sustaining within 10 years of being founded. The Engineering Research Centers program was originally developed in 1984 with the mission of removing disparity between academic and industrial engineering applications. In this way, engineering students would, theoretically, be better prepared to enter the engineering workforce. As a result, the United States would gain a competitive advantage over other countries. There have been three generations of Engineering Research Centers. Each of these generations has been specifically designed to meet the dynamic engineering demands of the United States. Due to the limited amount of funding available for ERCs, the program is competitive; out of 143 proposals submitted in 2008, only 5 were awarded centers. Commercialization of academic research is one of the primary goals of NSF ERCs.

## Generation one

The first generation of NSF ERCs began between 1985 and 1990 and encouraged academic institutions to focus education on manufacturing and commercial design. This first generation comprised 18 centers.

## Generation two

The National Science Foundation began funding the second generation of centers beginning in 1994 and continued until 2006. This second generation included 22 centers and was focused on manufacturing efficiency. Unlike the first generation of ERCs, the second generation encouraged multi-university partnerships and also focused on developing pre-college, engineering-bound students. In addition, the second generation of ERCs was designed to help academic research reach commercialization. However, unlike later generations, the second generation focused on domestic programs and largely ignored the potential in global partnerships.

## Generation three

Beginning in 2008, the NSF began accepting proposals for the third generation (Gen-3) of Engineering Research Centers. Gen-3 ERCs were largely created due to decreased student interest in sciences and engineering and an increasingly global economy. To meet these challenges, the Gen-3 ERCs were commissioned to increase interest in innovation and unify different engineering pipelines (i.e. domestic and international institutions, academic and commercial institutions). Gen-3 programs particularly focus on nanotechnology.

### Partner structure

The mission of Gen-3 ERCs differs from the mission of the second generation ERCs in that Gen-3 centers embrace a global perspective. In creating the Gen-3 ERCs, the NSF recognized that streamlining existing processes is not enough to remain competitive in a global market. Instead, Gen-3 programs focus on also developing and globally commercializing novel engineering solutions. Like second generation ERCs, Gen-3 programs use a multi-university model and are required to include between 1 and 4 domestic partners. At least one of these partner universities must serve a large population of underrepresented groups. Gen-3 programs are also required to include between 1 and 3 non-domestic partners. Faculty from non-partner universities may become affiliated in order to fill "expertise gaps".
Above and beyond university partner requirements, Gen-3 ERCs are required to partner with domestic pre-college institutions, particularly local middle schools and high schools. ERCs must also have "industry/practitioner" members that pay fees to use ERC resources. These industry/practitioner members may include businesses and hospitals.
ERCs are required to support Research Experiences for Undergraduates, Research Experiences for Teachers, and pre-college (Young Scholars) summer research programs. In addition, ERCs partner with local K-12 institutions to increase the abilities of science and engineering educators. Because of the global focus of Gen-3 ERCs, centers often host foreign exchange students.

### Funding structure

Funding for an ERC may not exceed $3,250,000 for the first year, but this limit increases by $250,000 per year until it reaches a maximum of $4,000,000. The NSF committed enough funds ($9,750,000) to support three new centers beginning in the summer of 2012. Corporate partners are permitted to supplement this funding, and their contributions can be quite significant. For example, in 2006, over 50 organizations invested in the Engineering Research Center for Compact and Efficient Fluid Power (CEFP) and added approximately $3 million to the CEFP's budget. In some circumstances, ERCs obtain additional funding through other governmental agencies.

## Current centers

Source:
Currently, 18 ERCs are supported by the National Science Foundation. These centers are listed below along with the years during which they were founded. Programs founded before 2008 are second generation programs; programs founded in or after 2008 are Gen-3 programs.

### Manufacturing

| Center | Lead Institution | Year Founded |
| ERC for Compact and Efficient Fluid Power (CCEFP) | University of Minnesota | 2006 |
| ERC for Structured Organic Particulate Systems, (C-SOPS) | Rutgers University | 2006 |
| Synthetic Biology ERC (SynBERC) | University of California at Berkeley | 2006 |
| Center for Biorenewable Chemicals (CBiRC) | Iowa State University | 2008 |

### Biotechnology and health care

| Center | Lead Institution | Year Founded |
| Biomimetic MicroElectronic Systems (BMES) ERC | University of Southern California | 2003 |
| Quality of Life ERC (QoLT) | Carnegie Mellon University | 2006 |
| ERC for Revolutionizing Metallic Biomaterials (RMB) | North Carolina A&T University | 2008 |
| Engineering Research Center for Sensorimotor Neural Engineering (CSNE) | University of Washington | 2011 |
| Center for Precise Advanced Technologies and Health Systems for Underserved Populations (PATHS-UP) | Texas A&M | 2017 |
| Engineering Research Center for Advanced Technologies for Preservation of Biological Systems (ATP-Bio) | University of Minnesota | 2020 |

### Energy, sustainability, and infrastructure

| Center | Lead Institution | Year Founded |
| Future Renewable Electric Energy Delivery and Management (FREEDM) Systems Center | North Carolina State University | 2008 |
| Smart Lighting ERC | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | 2008 |
| ERC for Quantum Energy and Sustainable Solar Technologies (QESST) | Arizona State University | 2011 |
| ERC for Re-Inventing America’s Urban Water Infrastructure (ReNUWIt) | Stanford University | 2011 |
| ERC for Ultra-wide Area Resilient Electric Energy Transmission Networks (CURENT) | University of Tennessee–Knoxville | 2011 |

### Microelectronics, sensing, and information technology

| Center | Lead Institution | Year Founded |
| ERC for Power Optimization for Electro-Thermal Systems (POETS) | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign / University of Arkansas / Stanford University / Howard University | 2015 |
| ERC for Collaborative Adaptive Sensing of the Atmosphere (CASA) | University of Massachusetts Amherst | 2003 |
| ERC for Extreme Ultraviolet Science and Technology (EUV ERC) | Colorado State University / University of Colorado at Boulder / University of California at Berkeley / Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory | 2003 |
| ERC on Mid-Infrared Technologies for Health and the Environment (MIRTHE) | Princeton University | 2006 |
| Center for Integrated Access Networks (CIAN) | University of Arizona | 2008 |

## Past (graduated) centers

The following centers no longer receive funding from the National Science Foundation. Centers founded in or after 1994 are second generation ERCs. Centers founded before 1994 are first generation.

### Manufacturing

| Center | Lead Institution | Year Founded | Year of Graduation |
| ERC for Intelligent Manufacturing Systems | Purdue University | 1985/1994 | 1999 |
| Systems Research Center | University of Maryland | 1985/1994 | 1997 |
| Engineering Design Research Center | Carnegie Mellon University | 1986 | 1997 |
| ERC for Net Shape Manufacturing | Ohio State University | 1986 | 1997 |
| Center for Interfacial Engineering | University of Minnesota | 1988 | 1999 |
| Particle Engineering Research Center | University of Florida | 1995 | 2006 |
| ERC for Environmentally Benign Semiconductor Manufacturing | University of Arizona | 1996 | 2006 |
| ERC for Reconfigurable Manufacturing Systems | University of Michigan | 1996 | 2007 |
| Center for Advanced Engineering of Fibers and Films | Clemson University | 1998 | 2008 |
| Gordon ERC for Subsurface Sensing and Imaging Systems | Northeastern University | 2000 | 2010 |
| ERC for Wireless Integrated MicroSystems | University of Michigan | 2000 | 2010 |

### Biotechnology and health care

| Center | Lead Institution | Year Founded | Year of Graduation |
| Emerging Cardiovascular Technologies | Duke University | 1987 | 1998 |
| Biotechnology Process Engineering Center | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 1985/1995 | 2005 |
| Center for Biofilm Engineering | Montana State University | 1990 | 2001 |
| Engineered Biomaterials ERC | University of Washington | 1996 | 2007 |
| ERC for Computer-Integrated Surgical Systems and Technology | Johns Hopkins University | 1998 | 2008 |
| ERC for the Engineering of Living Tissues | Georgia Institute of Technology | 1998 | 2008 |
| VaNTH ERC for Bioengineering Educational Technologies | Vanderbilt University | 1999 | 2007 |

### Energy, sustainability, and infrastructure

| Center | Lead Institution | Year Founded | Year of Graduation |
| Advanced Combustion Engineering Research Center | Brigham Young University/University of Utah | 1986 | 1997 |
| ERC for Advanced Technology for Large Structural Systems | Lehigh University | 1986 | 1997 |
| Mid-America Earthquake Center | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | 1997 | 2007 |
| Multidisciplinary Center for Earthquake Engineering Research | The University at Buffalo | 1997 | 2007 |
| Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research Center | University of California at Berkeley | 1997 | 2007 |
| Offshore Technology Research Center | Texas A&M/University of Texas | 1988 | 1999 |

### Microelectronics, sensing, and information technology

| ERC | Lead Institution | Year Founded | Year of Graduation |
| Industrial Research through various research tools | Grian Technologies Pvt Ltd | 2003 | 2003 |
| ERC for Compound Semiconductor Microelectronics | University of Illinois | 1986 | 1997 |
| Data Storage Systems Center | Carnegie Mellon University | 1990 | 2001 |
| ERC for Computational Field Simulation | Mississippi State University | 1990 | 2001 |
| ERC for Neuromorphic Systems Engineering | California Institute of Technology | 1995 | 2006 |
| Microelectronics Packaging Research Center | Georgia Institute of Technology | 1994 | 2006 |
| Integrated Media Systems Center | University of Southern California | 1996 | 2007 |
| ERC for Power Electronics Systems | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University | 1998 | 2008 |