Walmart Foundation awards $964,000 grant to Clemson textile researchers
February 10, 2016
The Walmart Foundation and the U.S. Conference of Mayors recently awarded Clemson University a $964,000 grant to support research in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering on energy-efficient processes for the dyeing of polyester fabrics. Clemson was one of this year’s U.S. Manufacturing Innovation Fund grant recipients, who are focused on innovations in textile manufacturing processes.
Clemson’s research project is led by Dr. Phil Brown, Swetenburg Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, and Dr. Chris Cole, Professor Emerita, Materials Science and Engineering in the College of Engineering and Science, and will focus on reducing energy use and color effluent in the polyester dyeing process.
“The expertise of our team of Clemson researchers bears great promise for breakthroughs in the polyester dyeing process and commercial dyeing technologies,” said Anand Gramopadhye, dean of Clemson University’s College of Engineering and Science. “We look forward to the outcomes of this project and the significant collaborative opportunities with industry partners in our region.”
Clemson is one of five universities to receive grants from the U.S. Manufacturing Innovation Fund, which supports research proposals that seek to develop new manufacturing technologies, reduce the cost of producing goods in the U.S., and create jobs that support America’s manufacturing base. The fund will provide a total of $10 million in grant awards over five years.
Support for the Walmart U.S. Manufacturing Innovation Fund is part of Walmart’s larger commitment to help revitalize U.S. manufacturing. In January 2013, Walmart announced a commitment to buy an additional $250 billion in products that support U.S. jobs by 2023.
For more information on Walmart’s commitment to U.S. manufacturing, see http://corporate.walmart.com/global-responsibility/us-manufacturing.