Sen. Husted helps secure millions for northeast Ohio manufacturing hub, supporting up to 20,000 jobs
WASHINGTON – Sen. Jon Husted (R-Ohio) this week announced that the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) selected Case Western Reserve University’s Northeast Ohio Strengthening Manufacturing for American Resilience through Technology (NEO-SMART) initiative as one of just 12 recipients nationwide to receive an NSF Regional Innovation Engines award.
This comes after Husted wrote a letter to Acting Director of NSF Brian Stone advocating for the NEO-SMART project on May 22, 2026. The NSF Engines program can provide up to $160 million over 10 years to support the initiative.
“Ohio has long been a manufacturing powerhouse, and this investment will help ensure northeast Ohio remains at the forefront of innovation for decades to come. Ohio was just named the top state in the nation to do business, and the NEO-SMART initiative’s collaboration—bringing together researchers, manufacturers, educators and workforce partners—to strengthen domestic supply chains and advance cutting-edge technologies is one example of why we earned that rating. I was proud to advocate for this project because it aligns with our state’s strengths and America’s priorities,” said Husted.
The NEO-SMART proposal outlines a 10-year plan that would create an estimated 20,000 jobs across 18 counties in northeast Ohio. The program is a partnership of more than 70 entities from sectors spanning industry, academia, job training, philanthropy and government.
Once funded, this program will:
• Drive economic prosperity by fortifying domestic supply chains in sectors such as automotive, aerospace, defense and medical devices;
• Accelerate innovation by advancing key technologies in manufacturing and fostering new entrepreneurship; and
• Train Ohio's future workforce for in demand and meaningful jobs.
The NSF Engines program is building and scaling regional innovation ecosystems nationwide. Each NSF Engine is powered by a broad coalition of private sector, regional and scientific leaders and organizations to accelerate breakthrough emerging technology R&D that drives growth and ultimately bolsters U.S. economic competitiveness and national security.