DUBOIS, PA — Pennsylvania has secured a $39.9 million federal grant to convert facilities at Penn State DuBois into an advanced manufacturing and workforce development center, supporting a regional industrial initiative backed by more than $160 million in private-sector commitments.
The U.S. Department of Commerce awarded the funding to establish the DuBois Center for Innovation, according to U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick, who worked with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to advance the project.
Penn State will lead the initiative in partnership with regional economic development and workforce organizations, focusing on research, workforce training and industrial collaboration in North Central Pennsylvania’s metal powder and pressed materials industries.
The center will support manufacturers serving the defense, aerospace, energy and medical device industries, linking university research with production capabilities important to domestic supply chains.
Lutnick projected that the federal investment and associated private-sector commitments would support training for hundreds of workers annually.
“With this grant and more than $160 million in private sector commitments behind it, we will train hundreds of workers each year and give companies the tools they need to stay at the front of American manufacturing,” Lutnick stated.
The planned facility will combine advanced manufacturing research and development with hands-on technical training, apprenticeships and industry partnerships.
A central objective is addressing workforce shortages in the region’s manufacturing sector while expanding opportunities for companies developing specialized materials and production technologies.
U.S. Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson emphasized the importance of the region’s established metal powder industry, describing the investment as a means of strengthening its international competitiveness.
“Our region is the epicenter of the world’s powdered metals industry, and this investment will ensure that we remain globally competitive into the future,” Thompson remarked.
Penn State also identified the project as an opportunity to expand domestic manufacturing capacity while supporting economic development in a region facing longstanding economic challenges.
Andrew Read, the university’s senior vice president for research, connected the initiative to national security and technological competitiveness, particularly the domestic production of metal powders used in advanced manufacturing.
“The DuBois Center for Innovation will provide the United States the domestic metal powder production needed for a strategic manufacturing capability essential to economic and national security and technological leadership,” Read explained.
The initiative will provide a framework for manufacturers, researchers and workforce organizations to collaborate on production methods, technical skills and industrial applications.
McCormick characterized the federal funding as an opportunity to establish a new economic role for the former campus while supporting the surrounding manufacturing economy.
“This is about turning a challenge into an opportunity for DuBois and the entire region,” McCormick noted.
The federal grant and private-sector commitments will support the development of a manufacturing center intended to connect research, workforce preparation and industrial production in North Central Pennsylvania.
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