The Corvallis Microfluidics Tech Hub, or CorMic, is a partnership of over 60 organizations including HP, Oregon State University, the University of Oregon, Oregon Health & Science University to develop, scale, and manufacture microfluidics technologies. In 2023, the U.S. Economic Development Administration selected CorMic to be one of 31 inaugural Regional Technology and Innovation Hubs to become a global leader in microfluidics, essential for diverse applications in biomedicine, computing, and manufacturing.
Although CorMic was excluded from the funding round announced on July 2, the EDA has confirmed their commitment to support the development of the Tech Hub through training and help with finding other funding.
“This is not what we hoped for, but we are moving forward,” said Juan Carlos Ramos, senior R&D engineer manager at HP and regional innovation officer for CorMic. “We will do a strict reassessment, just like any other business, to figure out what should stay and what is not necessary.”
To inform the next steps for CorMic, Ramos will meet with the EDA later this month along with Tom Weller, Michael and Judith Gaulke Chair in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at Oregon State University, who has been leading the CorMic effort.
CorMic’s power and potential lie in its position as both an economic engine and a collaborative ecosystem. CorMic’s partners include academic institutions, leading technology companies, local startups, governments, venture capitalists, and community partners.
“If you’re a small company, CorMic shows you where you need to go with your technology,” Weller said. “It’s going to have a significant impact on how quickly technology in microfluidics can get commercialized.”
Leveraging expert support and new innovations
CorMic provides know-how, direction, and state-of-the-art facilities and equipment for startups and small companies that are ready to scale up and manufacture their technologies. Key to the collaboration is the support and expertise of companies like ThermoFisher Scientific, NVIDIA, Analog Devices, and Intel, in addition to HP, providing leverage to relationships forged with smaller companies.
“You are working with people who have several years of experience taking concepts to proto and then mass manufacturing, because that’s what our engineers at HP in Corvallis do on a daily basis,” Ramos said. “That transition from product to mass manufacturing, that’s a big gap that will be filled.”
Keeping laser focus while enabling agility
The consortium has maintained a laser focus on working with partners at that inflection point: those in TRLs 6-9 with technologies that have been demonstrated as small prototypes and are ready for commercialization. These technologies fall within the bounds of one or more of CorMic’s three focus areas: life sciences, semiconductor thermal management, and advanced materials and manufacturing.
Though specific and defined, there is breadth and an abundance of technological opportunities, projects, and roles that companies can fill within these verticals, Ramos said. One such example already is Phosio, a Corvallis-based company developing UV-curable metal oxide precursors allowing for deposition at temperatures as low as 150 C. Phosio develops the chemistry and methods for manufacturing these precursors, which are destined for use in applications such as OLED, micro-LED, biochips, and beyond.
The consortium’s three vertical markets are well connected, but disparate enough to ensure its stability. CorMic has struck a balance between partners’ areas of focus and the needs of the entire ecosystem. The diversity of expertise provided by the hub’s partners fuels the center’s innovation. “One of the key things is we want to be nimble, quick, and flexible to adapt to what the market is needing,” Ramos said.
Retaining Oregon talent while building global leadership
A key goal of the Tech Hub is creating a diverse, world-class microfluidics workforce through innovative academic programs, new specialty training, and outreach programs. The demand for trained technicians to support emerging product applications for microfluidics and continuous flow processing is growing. But training and education programs are scarce.
“CorMic is driving advances in the microfluidics industry and developing the workforce that will sustain it.”
— Tom Weller, Michael and Judith Gaulke Chair in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
CorMic is developing pathways for all Oregonians to enter a variety of careers in microfluidics. The comprehensive plan includes programs for K-12 outreach, two-year technician degrees, education for undergraduate and graduate students, and specialized, short-term workforce training.
“The inclusion of workforce development organizations, community-based groups and venture development firms that are committed to diversity will ensure that underserved populations will benefit,” Weller said. “CorMic is driving advances in the microfluidics industry and developing the workforce that will sustain it.”
The future of CorMic
Although the funding has not yet come through, Ramos is encouraged by conversations he has had with state and federal government officials who recognize the important role that CorMic can play for the economy of Oregon and the U.S.
He says the main reasons to continue developing the consortium are because the technology is relevant to so many important applications, and it will help Corvallis and the surrounding region to diversify employment opportunities.
“We have developed a very good working group of smart people in diverse areas and demonstrated that CorMic can build bridges between different industries. Already, HP and Siemens have started an engagement that would not have happened without CorMic,” he said. “This is just the beginning.”
To explore collaborative opportunities, or the semiconductor program in general, get in touch with us at: semi-osu@oregonstate.edu.
