Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh has announced a $150 million commitment from the Richard King Mellon Foundation in support of a new science building, advanced technology initiatives, and the ongoing revitalization of the city's Hazelwood neighborhood.

The largest commitment ever announced by the foundation includes a $75 million lead gift to help fund construction of a science building that will facilitate collaborative research and education spanning multiple disciplines across the university. In addition to classrooms and teaching labs, the $210 million facility will provide student and faculty researchers with state-of-the-art labs designed to inspire collaboration.

The remaining $75 million will provide seed funding for a robotics center and advanced materials and manufacturing institute located at Hazelwood Green, a former riverside steel mill site that RKMF, in partnership with the Heinz Endowments and Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation, is redeveloping into a center for innovation and economic development. With the support of a $20 million grant from the foundation, CMU's Manufacturing Futures Initiative and Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing Institute, a public-private partnership, became the first tenants at the site's Mill 19 building in 2019.

The new funding commitment from the foundation includes $45 million toward completion of the $100 million Robotics Innovation Center, which, when completed, will add up to a hundred and fifty thousand square feet of space to CMU's robotic research capabilities, and $30 million for the Manufacturing Futures Institute, which will work to develop advanced materials and manufacturing equipment and processes; facilitate collaborations between CMU researchers, industry, and government organizations; and expand high-tech workforce training for residents of the region.

"This latest grant from the Richard King Mellon Foundation will provide CMU with the resources to accelerate three of its key strategic initiatives — science, advanced manufacturing, and robotics innovation," said CMU president Farnam Jahanian. "While advancing our education and research missions, these initiatives will also further CMU's commitment to positive societal impact, both regionally and nationally."

"CMU's vision to expand its presence at Hazelwood Green is another step toward our goal of creating a development where great jobs, sustainability, and community go together, and in a way that could only be done in Pittsburgh," said RKMF director Sam Reiman. "Success at Hazelwood Green will not be defined by its buildings, parks, and roads, but rather by the opportunities it creates for an entire generation of Pittsburgh residents to participate in the new economy."

(Photo credit: Carnegie Mellon University)