The Walmart Foundation and the U.S. Conference of Mayors announced Clemson University as one of this year’s U.S. Manufacturing Innovation Fund grant recipients for its sustainable water and oil repellency fabric technology research project led by Dr. Chris Cole, professor emerita of materials science and engineering, and Dr. Phil Brown, assistant professor of materials science and engineering.
Clemson will receive $422,549 from the Walmart Foundation, and was one of only six universities selected to receive funding in this round of grant awards from the U.S. Manufacturing Innovation Fund. The Fund seeks to support research proposals that strive to create new manufacturing technologies and reduce the cost of producing goods in the U.S. with the ultimate goal of creating jobs that support America’s growing manufacturing base.
This award from the Walmart Foundation builds upon their previous support of Cole and Brown’s textile research project. Clemson received a $960,000 grant from the 2016 cycle of the U.S. Manufacturing Innovation Fund.
Clemson’s research aims to create a more sustainable water and oil repellant fabric process. The process will significantly reduce costs while using no additional finishing chemistry, significantly reducing the amount of fluorochemistry required.
Thank you, Walmart, for supporting Clemson University research and innovation!
