This planning grant is the first step toward the setting up a multi-institutional Polymer Engineering Center (PEC) of the Center for Advanced Polymer and Composite Engineering (CAPCE) at the Ohio State University (OSU). This proposed multi-institutional I/UCRC is a university-industry-government collaborative initiative to create, integrate, transfer, and apply knowledge of polymer engineering and processing. It is aimed at enhancing the competitiveness and effectiveness of companies involved in design and manufacturing of plastic components or production of manufacturing and sensing equipment related to the plastics industry. The Engineering Polymer Industrial Consortium (EPIC) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison provides a formal means for the PEC faculty and its industrial collaborators to jointly set up a research agenda, share expertise and resources, validate research outcome, educate a preeminent workforce, and facilitate two-way transfer of technology.
