Centers of Excellence

A Center of Excellence (CoE) is an entity that focuses on a specific technology area and conducts both basic and applied research and development. The goal is to inspire and nourish ideas that have commercial benefit for an entire industry within the state. The funding and support provided by Ben Franklin is instrumental in making these centers a reality.

BFTP/CNP is fortunate to have a world-class system of higher education in our 32-county region. The assets these colleges and universities bring to the region in areas such as technology-transfer opportunities, research and development, and faculty consulting are critical to the economic health of the region. Currently, we support the following Centers of Excellence:

Center for Food Innovation
The Center for Food Innovation (CFI) at Penn State is a venue through which companies from all sectors of the food industry research and develop new products and processes and develop partnerships that enable them to be more competitive in the marketplace. One of CFI’s biggest strengths is the alliance it creates between academia and industry to benefit all areas of the Pennsylvania food industry. As a result of CFI’s efforts, Pennsylvania is also the first state to have representatives from all sectors of the food industry—researchers, producers, manufacturers, distributors, providers, trade associations and government agencies, all participating in one effort.

Click here to read a story on CFI in KEYnotes, the e-newsletter of BFTP.

Center of Excellence in Dielectric Studies
As part of Penn State’s Center for Dielectric Studies (CDS), the goal of this CoE is to further develop two new electro-ceramics industry research thrusts that will directly impact companies located in Pennsylvania: low-temperature co-fired ceramics (LTCC), and electrolytic capacitors for electric power management and distribution. The LTCC materials are to be considered for a revolutionary microwave (Gigahertz) and mm-wave (Terahertz) material concept known as metamaterials or artificial dielectrics which offer new opportunities in wireless communications.

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Center of Excellence
The RFID Center of Excellence will be focused on supporting companies that use or develop radio frequency identification (RFID) technology. RFID technology allows products and assets to be “tagged” and uniquely identified, located, and tracked using radio waves. The RFID Center will help to make Pennsylvania industry a leader in this new technology and will enhance economic and workforce development. The outreach program of the Center will provide education, certification training, advanced lab software development, RFID process integration analysis, product tagging analysis, and factory automation integration. The program will be realized through a combination of activities, including workshops, membership information dissemination, training events, and one-on-one assistance.

Center of Excellence in Piezoelectric Materials and Devices
The Center of Excellence in Piezoelectric Materials and Devices at Penn State couples national and international companies with university faculty, research, and resources. Initial thrust areas for the Center are ultrasonics, resonator piezoelectrics, and new materials development for advanced sensors and actuators. Penn State faculty members have led the field of piezoelectric for 35 years and in the last few have pioneered the exploration of high strain polymer piezoelectric single crystals, new high metallization for piezoelectric fuel injectors, and thin film piezoelectrics for micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS).

Center of Excellence for Signal Integrity Applications and Technology Transfer
The Center of Excellence for Signal Integrity Applications and Technology Transfer will develop new signal integrity applications with the goal of helping local industry remain globally competitive. Through the synergy of Penn State Harrisburg (Capital College), local industry and funding agencies, the Center will align its cutting-edge research with companies, integrate signal integrity into the electrical engineering curriculum, develop continuing education courses to train the local workforce, and disseminate results to aid in the development of marketable products. The research and development will be focused on signal integrity analysis of high speed interconnects.

Structural Health Monitoring Center of Excellence
The Structural Health Monitoring Center of Excellence will improve public safety by advancing the state-of-the-art in structural health monitoring and providing engineering technology for small and moderate sized Pennsylvania companies doing business in this, and related fields. The Center’s objectives are to spur the research and development of new technologies that will improve public safety; transfer technology to Pennsylvania companies to give them a competitive advantage; make Pennsylvania a “hotspot” for structural health monitoring, creating a new high tech job market that will provide jobs.

Networking and Security Research Center of Excellence
The Networking and Security Research Center of Excellence performs leading-edge research on networking technologies, including technologies for the Internet, wireless systems, sensor networks and all aspects of cyber security and information assurance. The Center is a focal point for students, faculty and industry collaboration for networking and security research at Penn State. The Center uses a portion of BFTP/CNP funding to attract partnerships with Pennsylvania companies to develop technology that will serve as the basis for proposals in the future.

Center of Excellence in Nanoscale Lignocellulosic Materials
The Center of Excellence in Nanoscale Lignocellulosic Materials facilitates collaborative academic and industrial R&D supporting the design and production of nanoengineered cellulosic (wood based) products. These products may include composites and coatings with improved mechanical or surface properties, including water and rot resistance. New cellulosic materials could lead to high value products such as biomaterials for wound care. It is the objective of the proposed Center to create a sustainable infrastructure which will proactively work with Pennsylvania industry both in the critical “one-to-one” interactions and collectively through workshops, seminars and newsletters. The proposed Center will also provide a link to national level activities with the aim of creating new opportunities for Pennsylvania. These activities will also be designed to attract companies to Pennsylvania to create additional job opportunities.

Center for Nanoparticulate Science & Engineering
The Center for Nanoparticulate Science & Engineering is part of the Particulate Materials Center, which is committed to the long-term development of advanced materials derived from 10 micron powders to nanometer-size particulates. They coordinate the efforts of their faculty, staff, and students in cooperation with the industrial member companies to develop and deliver leveraged, high-quality, cost-effective research. Relevant research results are transferred to the members through formal research reports, academic education, and workforce training.

Center for Manufacturing Enterprise Integration
The Center for Manufacturing Enterprise Integration (CMEI) addresses enterprise R&D needs and focuses on integrating operational decision-making and control of geographically distributed enterprises. This is accomplished using open information and control systems at various levels ranging from sensors to supplier (S2S). Industry partners constitute a consortium to advise CMEI of their R&D and guide the educational direction of the Center.