March 26, 2008 — Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels announced the establishment of the Midwest Academy for Nanoelectronics and Architectures (MANA), a new research consortium led by the University of Notre Dame and designed to discover and develop the next nanoscale logic device, which will be the basic building block of future computers.

The consortium also includes Purdue University, the University of Illinois, Pennsylvania State University, the University of Michigan, Argonne National Laboratory, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory.

Also participating in the joint announcement were representatives of the Nanoelectronics Research Initiative (NRI) of the Semiconductor Research Corporation (SRC), Rep. Joe Donnelly, D-Ind., Indiana Speaker of the House B. Patrick Bauer, South Bend Mayor Steve Luecke, Purdue Interim Provost Vic Lechtenberg, Notre Dame vice president for research Robert Bernhard, and Notre Dame’s president, Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C.

Direct support for MANA from the public and private sectors and the participating universities will total more than $25 million over three years. Notre Dame also will offer other additional support. The consortium organizers anticipate that additional funds will be obtained through federal grant applications under the National Nanotechnology Initiative, for which the federal government plans to allocate $1.5 billion a year.

MANA’s mission will be to explore and develop advanced devices, circuits and nanosystems with performance capabilities beyond conventional devices.