CHICAGO –  Congressman Adam Kinzinger (R-Channahon) today lauded the selection of Chicago-based research collaborative UI Labs as the site of the national Digital Lab for Manufacturing. The lab will serve as a research hub, bringing together industry, academia, and government partners, for the advancement of digital manufacturing through a $320 million investment, including a $70 million grant from the Department of Defense.

“There isn’t a better place in the country to host a manufacturing site like this than Northern Illinois,” said Kinzinger. “With top research universities like NIU, access to key transportation and shipping hubs such as Rockford International Airport, and a solid manufacturing presence, it’s clear why Illinois won out. I was glad to join my colleagues in expressing our support for this site, and I look forward to seeing the advances in manufacturing and new jobs that will come with it.”

The selection of UI Labs in Chicago is a part of the Obama Administration’s National Network for Manufacturing Innovation, an initiative meant to spur economic growth and enhance U.S. global competitiveness in manufacturing by forging public and private partnerships. The digital lab in Chicago will be the nation’s flagship institute for digital manufacturing, serving as a research hub for over 40 industry partners, 30 academia, government, and community partners, and over 500 supporting companies and organizations. In addition to a $70 million grant from the federal government, various partners have combined to invest $250 million into the new institute.

Last year, Rep. Kinzinger along with the Illinois Congressional delegation sent two letters to Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel in support of Illinois’s bid for the digital manufacturing site. Those letters can be found here and here.

Partners in the Sixteenth District include Northern Illinois University, the Rockford Area Economic Development Council, the Northern Illinois Workforce Alliance, and the Grundy-Livingston-Kankakee Workforce Board.

 ###