Academic Peer Assessment Other universities across the region and

nation have embraced the concept of engaging with local industries and
beyond with respect to advanced technology products. These have
included technology parks and incubation centers where the next
scientific breakthroughs are not only conceive but also the valley of
death between basic research and industrial implementation is bridged
Some examples include the Emerging Technologies and Innovation
Center at the University of Massachusetts Lowell (84,000 square foot,
$80 million dollar facility, and Advanced Structures and Composites
Center at the University of Maine (100,000 square foot) to name just two
in the immediate region. For the case of composites, UNH has unique
strengthens compared to the University of Maine researchers in terms of
materials synthesis and characterization and have the advantage of being
in close proximity to several composites companies, e.g., Safran and
Albany Engineered Composites. In some cases, local companies
collaborate with other universities instead of UNH which is simply an
engagement, publicity, and communication shortcoming. UNH has well
respected researchers in the areas of advanced materials and
manufacturing innovations. These researchers are already engaged with
several industrial partners. See attached letters of support for this
proposal. Through strategic hires, a critical mass of researchers in the
four material thrust areas of CAMMI has been achieved. Thus, creating
a similar center at UNH to the ones at UMass-Lowell, UMaine, and
across the nation is not only conceivable but desirable from many
perspectives, e.g., engaging with local companies and beyond, growing
the research enterprise at UNH, fostering the strategic initiative to
commercialize UNHs intellectual capital, serving the educational
mission of UNH, etc. The first step on a longer range vision to create a
bricks and mortar facility at UNH is to create a distributed Center for
Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Innovations in the various
research laboratories across campus. The continued engagement with
industry, establishment of consortia, and structure created through
CAMMI will facilitate longer term objectives.