A Toledo consortium of glassmakers, universities and civic groups is asking the state of Ohio for a $31.4 million grant to create a tech hub to advance glass-making and recycling.
The Northwest Ohio Innovation Consortium pledged to match the four-year grant request with a cash match of $10.5 million contributed by the members, according to the grant application shared with The Blade.
[Jim Hoffman] said the more than $10 million that is being pledged by the consortium members as a match to the state money shows the cohesiveness of the companies involved that previously went their own ways on research and development.
The funds will be used to research ways to make glass lighter-weight and stronger, while using electricity rather than natural gas to heat furnaces, the application shows.
A new glass tech hub in northwest Ohio would produce about $25 million in increased state tax revenue in addition to 1,600 jobs and $284 million in associated investment and other research money, the application says.
