[Updated March 7] Prince William County taxpayers are now investors in a new firm that produces materials the size of materials, devices, and structures at dimensions less than 100 nanometers.
On Tuesday, March 1, the Board of County Supervisors gave $50,000 to the George Mason University Nanofabrication facility. The $3 million, 2,350 square foot facility at the Institute for Advanced Biomedical Research building on the university’s Sci-Tech Campus outside Manassas will produce materials for electronic devices, biological sensors, biomedical devices, and optoelectronics.
For scale, one nanometer equals one billionth of a meter.
The university just completed the construction of the new facility and will teach at least 10 new classes in the facility, should a new grant be approved. According to county documents, George Mason University will offer a two-year NanoTech Clean Room Certification in collaboration with Northern Virginia Community College and establish a Nano-STEM outreach program for high school students through the county’s Governor’s School.
A total of 540 students will be enrolled in classes using the NFF, county documents state, by year three. George Mason expects to produce 180 graduates per year that are qualified to enter the nano market.
George Mason University applied to use a $2.5 million grant from GO Virginia, an effort founded in 2016 to create high-paying jobs through collaboration with business, education, and government. The university injected $1.25 million of its cash to match the grant, while the remaining $50,000 will come from the Prince William County Economic Development Opportunity Fund.
Some praise the local funding for helping start-up businesses in the bio-science field, one of Prince William County’s targeted growth industries, get a leg up. While others say the fund allows the government to choose winners and losers in the marketplace.
Prince William County Coles District Supervisor Yesli Vega voted against awarding the county’s portion of the match grant.
