A team of Purdue University Northwest College of Technology researchers were awarded more than $1 million in federal and private funding to develop advanced agriculture technology.
The project will be based in a greenhouse under development at the Digital Crossroad Data Center in Hammond, according to the college
PNW will receive $726,389 through the U.S. Economic Development Administration’s Scaling Pandemic Resilience Through Innovation and Technology (SPRINT) Challenge. The university was among 44 grant recipients selected from a pool of 238 applicants nationwide.
“We are excited to be awarded an EDA SPRINT Challenge grant to support this innovative project,” said Niaz Latif, dean of PNW’s College of Technology and interim dean of the College of Engineering and Sciences. “This transformative work will create jobs and have a positive economic impact.”
The funds were awarded to Project TRAVERSE: agTech Robotics, Automation and Virtually Employed Resiliently Scaling Enterprises. Project TRAVERSE uses advanced manufacturing technology, robotics and cyber-physical systems to develop and pilot test agTech solutions, including remote planting and harvesting assorted crops.
The project is expected to provide alternative solutions to current labor practices, alleviate labor shortages and improve efficiencies, making the U.S. produce industry more competitive with foreign competitors, according to PNW researchers.
Latif said the project will receive additional support through an in-kind contribution of $276,000 from Digital Crossroad, operator of the Indiana Data Center in Hammond.
Digital Crossroad is building a greenhouse on the Hammond site. Waste heat from the data center will power the greenhouse, creating a sustainable energy source.
PNW will lease the 4,000-square-foot greenhouse from Digital Crossroad. Project TRAVERSE is the first project planned to be housed in the greenhouse. Additional work on the project will take place at the PNW Commercialization and Manufacturing Excellence Center and on the PNW campus.
“Project TRAVERSE and the new Digital Crossroad data center in Hammond are great examples of the transformation happening in Northwest Indiana,” said Thomas Dakich, managing member, Digital Crossroad. “Together, we are forming the foundation for a digital economy that will bring additional investment and jobs to the region.”
