"Advances in robotics, artificial intelligence, materials science and 3-D printing are rapidly transforming manufacturing, with the power to trigger a significant resurgence of this economic pillar in the United States, and in Pittsburgh in particular."

PITTSBURGH, PA - As part of an agreement between Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) and the Regional Industrial Development Corporation (RIDC), the university will lease two floors, or approximately two-thirds, of the 94,000-square-foot Mill 19 building. The new building will be constructed entirely within the enormous skeleton of the historic former steel mill owned by RIDC.

The cutting-edge facility will house research, development and office space for the nonprofit Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing Institute (ARM), a $250-million public-private collaborative catalyzed by CMU that puts new technologies to work for industry, and for CMU's Manufacturing Futures Initiative (MFI), an interdisciplinary research initiative.

RIDC is a private, nonprofit developer whose mission includes redeveloping obsolete former industrial properties into state-of-the-art facilities for new economy companies that are producing innovation and jobs for the region. Plans for Mill 19, which is part of the Hazelwood Green site, include redevelopment of the property into a 264,000-square foot complex offering light industrial, R+D, and office space with outdoor public amenities. It features a "building within a building" concept by including a new high-tech, 3-story building under the existing steel skeleton.

"RIDC's mission is to support economic development in communities around the region by breathing new life into facilities that housed the great companies of Pittsburgh's past," said Donald Smith, President of RIDC. "We're proud of our continuing relationship with Carnegie Mellon University, whose commercialization efforts are producing innovative companies that are changing the world. This transaction is the latest in a list that includes the Software Engineering Institute, University Technology Development Center and most recently the Collaborative Innovation Center that housed Google, Apple and Disney Research."

"ARM's mission is to catalyze innovation and expertise in robotics to accelerate growth of U.S.-based manufacturing and high-value careers. This state-of-the-art ARM headquarters in Mill 19 at Hazelwood Green is designed to meet the technology and workforce goals set by the ARM Institute," said Gary Fedder, President and Interim CEO of ARM.

"Advances in robotics, artificial intelligence, materials science and 3-D printing are rapidly transforming manufacturing, with the power to trigger a significant resurgence of this economic pillar in the United States, and in Pittsburgh in particular," said Farnam Jahanian, Interim President of Carnegie Mellon University. "CMU's global leadership in research and in catalyzing economic development brings us to the cusp of a historic shift in manufacturing."

About ARM

The Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing (ARM) Institute is a Pittsburgh-based public-private collaboration catalyzed by Carnegie Mellon University. ARM actively develops, demonstrates and facilitates early adoption of robotic solutions in an effort to lower the technical, operational and economic barriers for businesses to adopt robotics technology and assert U.S. leadership in advanced manufacturing. ARM focuses on critical growth sectors, including aerospace, automotive, electronics, textiles, logistics and composites.

About MFI

The Manufacturing Futures Initiative is an interdisciplinary research initiative at Carnegie Mellon University. It seeks to accelerate the discovery to commercialization process and enable the future of manufacturing by bringing about a new era of human-machine collaboration that will advance manufacturing, the workforce, and economic development.

About RIDC

The mission of the Regional Industrial Development Corporation of Southwestern Pennsylvania is to catalyze and support economic growth and high-quality job creation through real estate development and finance of projects that advance the public interest. A not-for-profit entity, RIDC owns over 2,800 acres of land in 11 industrial parks and manages over 50 buildings.