UMaine projects, partnerships cited in Mainebiz article on R&D growth
Several University of Maine partnerships and projects were mentioned in the Mainebiz article, “U.S. R&D grows more than GDP.” Research and development expenditures in the United States totaled $456.1 billion in 2013, according to new data from the National Science Foundation, which at 3.2 percent is a higher growth rate than the 2.2 percent for the U.S. gross domestic product. The business sector continued to be the largest R&D spender, accounting for $322.5 billion, or 71 percent, of the total, while universities and colleges came in second with 14.7 percent of the U.S. total expenditures, according to the article. While Massachusetts typically pulls in the most federal R&D funding, Maine is increasing its share of NSF monies, the article states, citing the following projects and partnerships:
- A $658,000 innovation grant from NSF awarded in March 2015 to Brunswick aquaculture company Acadia Harvest Inc. to study with UMaine and its Center for Cooperative Aquaculture Research (CCAR) how aspects of aquaculture can be applied to land-based agriculture;
- A $225,000 grant awarded in June 2015 to Revolution Research Inc. — an Orono-based startup formed by two recent UMaine graduates — to develop a prototype fire-retardant and water-resistant thermal insulation foam board; and
- A $3.9 million grant from the Harold Alfond Foundation awarded to UMaine to build a new ocean engineering and advanced manufacturing lab. The grant matches the $9.98 million raised through four competitions involving the NSF and other agencies, as well as a Maine voter-approved bond.