A Rochester and Finger Lakes regional coalition has advanced to the final stage of the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Regional Innovation Engines program, a nationwide competition to fund transformative innovation ecosystems.
The STELLAR project — short for Science, Technology and Engineering of Laser and Laser Applications Research — aims to establish the region as a national leader in laser technologies, company creation, manufacturing, workforce development and education.
Key partners include the University of Rochester‘s Institute of Optics and Laboratory for Laser Energetics, Monroe Community College, Rochester Institute of Technology, Nextcorps, Luminate, Greater Rochester Enterprise, AmeriCOM and New York state.
- Build a manufacturing ecosystem for lasers
- Provide R&D support to scaling companies, and
- Create curricula for middle school through higher education to train students in laser systems and related trades.
Work on STELLAR began in 2023 when the University of Rochester received a $1 million NSF development grant. Nearly 300 letters of intent were submitted for NSF’s second competition; just 15 finalists remain, including STELLAR.
Winners of this round are expected to be announced in early 2026.
“The STELLAR Engine leverages our region’s strengths in optics, photonics, imaging and lasers and helps position it as a hub for laser innovation, talent and technologies to enhance our national competitiveness and local economic vitality,” said University of Rochester President Sarah Mangelsdorf.
via the Rochester Business Journal // Andrea Deckert