Northwest Ohio Innovation Consortium (NOIC), a Toledo consortium of glassmakers, universities and civic groups, is asking the state of Ohio, USA, for a USD 31.4 million grant to create a tech hub to advance glass-making and recycling.
The consortium has pledged to match the four-year grant request with a cash match of USD 10.5 million contributed by the members, according to the grant application.
Jim Hoffman, NOIC Co-Vice Chairman, said that the more than USD 10 million that is being pledged by the consortium members as a match to the state money shows the cohesiveness of the companies involved that previously went their own ways on research and development.
The funds will be used to research ways to make glass lighter-weight and stronger, while using electricity rather than natural gas to heat furnaces, the application shows.
A new glass tech hub in northwest Ohio would produce about USD 25 million in increased state tax revenue in addition to 1,600 jobs and USD 284 million in associated investment and other research money, the application says.
According to NOIC, the state money would accelerate glass-making improvements that the area’s four major glassmakers and First Solar have been individually pursuing for years.
Those glassmakers are O-I Glass, Owens Corning, Libbey Glass and Pilkington North America, which makes sheet glass that First Solar uses to make commercial-grade solar panels.