Milwaukee-based Rockwell Automation Inc. will contribute $10 million to a public-private initiative aimed at bringing regenerative medicine technology to scale.
Rockwell’s investment will take place over five years and is part of the nearly $300 million planned for the Advanced Regenerative Manufacturing Institute announced by the Barack Obama administration last month.
The institute is funded by $80 million from the Department of Defense and $214 million from companies and nonprofits. It will be headquartered in Manchester, New Hampshire. The institute will work on developing next-generation manufacturing technology for repairing and replacing cells and tissues, with the goal of creating new skin or even organs.
“ARMI brings together advances in manufacturing, biotech, medicine and life sciences to create new possibilities for those with immediate need for human tissue and organs,” said Blake Moret, Rockwell chief executive officer. “This is literally a life-changing approach and adds a new chapter to medicine.”
Moret said Rockwell’s contribution will focus on integrating biomanufacturing science with production techniques “that increase the capacity, speed, modularity and consistent quality of new tissue and organ production.”
The Obama administration announced a dozen different institutes over the last eight years focused developing new technologies, training workforce and attracting business to the area around the institutes.
ARMI will be chaired by Dean Kamen, the founder of FIRST Robotics, an organization focused on inspiring interest in science and technology that Rockwell has frequently supported over the years.
“Importantly, ARMI has plans to develop a new generation of skilled technicians within this growing industry,” said Moret. “Workers with the skills to compete and win in new industries are critical to the future competitiveness of our country.”
