Northern Illinois University will play a role in the digital manufacturing lab announced for the city of Chicago. On Tuesday, the White House announced plans for the $320 million dollars research center.
NIU officials say it includes a cost-sharing commitment of at least $1.5 million dollars from the university. The agreement, which is scheduled for five years, will center around projects that rely on expertise from NIU's College of Engineering. Overall, nearly two dozen universities are involved in the initiative.
Illinois Governor Pat Quinn was in Washington D.C. for the announcement:
"When iPods came along and iPads, they helped transform music. When Netflix came along, it helped transform movies. This initiative in Illinois, the Land of Lincoln, is going to transform manufacturing," Quinn said.
The state of Illinois contributed $16 million for the project.