Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb, fresh off a weeklong trip to Japan to recruit more investment, broke some news involving the University of Notre Dame during a visit to Goshen Wednesday.
He came to preside over a quarterly field meeting of the state’s Economic Development Corporation at the Goshen Theater.
First, Holcomb said he was impressed not only by the beauty of the theater, which was renovated with the help of a state grant.
“We have a lot of statewide pride for breaking records but I will just say that in my time, Goshen has broken the record for citizen turnout,” Holcomb said. “This is so heartwarming to see.”
Afterward, Holcomb told reporters that he should have used the term “invigorating” rather than “heartwarming.”
And the news? Holcomb said the state learned Wednesday that the nonprofit Indiana-based Applied Research Institute has won a $32.9 million federal Department of Defense grant to develop microelectronics. The group includes the University of Notre Dame, Purdue University and Indiana University, and the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Crane, Indiana.
They’ll work to build a domestic semiconductor industry, a national security imperative to keep the U.S. ahead of its adversaries.
Holcomb also announced the state will increase from $50 million to $75 million the amount of grants available to each regional economic development collaborative, such as the South Bend-Elkhart Regional Development Authority.
