The recently approved federal budget for fiscal year 2023 includes funding to support Missouri S&T’s advanced manufacturing initiatives.

The federal budget includes $20 million to support construction on the Manufacturing Technology and Innovation Campus under development north of Interstate 44. The budget also includes $3 million for advanced manufacturing workforce education and training and $3 million for equipment and supplies for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education. U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt announced these projects soon after the federal budget’s passage in December.

“We are very grateful for Sen. Blunt’s support for these projects and for his strong commitment to elevating advanced manufacturing in Missouri,” says Missouri S&T Chancellor Mo Dehghani.

Work is underway for the first building of the Innovation Campus, the Missouri Protoplex. The Protoplex will be located near the former General Services Building along the north side of I-44 near the Pedestrian Bridge.

Also included in the federal budget is language to support Missouri S&T research to develop thermal protection for hypersonic vehicles, which travel at speeds much faster than traditional missiles. Dr. Greg Hilmas, Curators’ Distinguished Professor of Ceramic Engineering, would lead the research effort. He and colleagues in S&T’s materials science and engineering department are experts on developing materials designed to withstand extreme temperature changes.