Microproducts Breakthrough Institute

In October 2002 Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and Oregon State University formed a joint institute to develop and help market advances in the emerging field of microtechnology. It is expected that small systems will create big changes. The hope is that the Microproducts Breakthrough Institute will not only combine scientific expertise to lead to new discoveries, but also quickly move developments into practical use. Forming new start-up companies and creating more jobs are important goals of this joint venture. The institute will reach out to private industry partners to speed the development of specific products. It is expected that the institute will have a facility with 50 to 60 staff members and an annual research budget of $20 million within the next five years. Any new buildings associated with the development of the institute will be located at Oregon State University.