Partners
Tackling plastic pollution is a major endeavor for one organization that requires expanded and creative skill sets and support beyond our organization’s current capabilities. The University has established critical partnerships with organizations and individuals to collaborate to build bold solutions. The diverse perspectives and expertise of partners help focus inquiry, accelerate outcomes, and translate our collaborative strengths into global opportunities for growth and competitiveness.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
From daily weather forecasts, severe storm warnings, and climate monitoring to fisheries management, coastal restoration and supporting marine commerce, NOAA’s products and services support economic vitality and affect more than one-third of America’s gross domestic product. NOAA’s dedicated scientists use cutting-edge research and high-tech instrumentation to provide citizens, planners, emergency managers and other decision makers with reliable information they need, when they need it.
NOAA’s mission to better understand our natural world and help protect its precious resources extends beyond national borders to monitor global weather and climate, and work with partners around the world.
Narragansett Bay Commission
The Narragansett Bay Commission owns and operates Rhode Island’s two largest clean water facilities, providing award-winning wastewater collection and treatment services to 400,000 people. The agency has twice been named a Utility of the Future for its commitment to renewable energy, sound science, and community enhancement.
The Ocean Agency
The Ocean Agency (TOA) is a non-profit agency leveraging a combination of creativity, technology, and powerful partnerships to raise the awareness and support necessary to help fast-track ocean conservation action. TOA is a playing an active role in URI’s innovative approaches to communications.
Polaris
Polaris MEP provides competitive business improvement programs to grow Rhode Island’s manufacturing industry. Polaris MEP is a statewide nonprofit organization, an affiliate of the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Manufacturing Extension Partnership (NIST MEP), and a business unit of the University of Rhode Island Research Foundation. Polaris is playing an important role in connecting URI researchers and industry in RI to begin dialogues about plastics.
401 Tech Bridge
401 Tech Bridge facilitates collaboration across industry, government and academia and leverages the resources and expertise of the region’s vibrant advanced materials and technology ecosystem, which spans industries and activities ranging from infrastructure development and naval research to oceanographic and offshore wind enterprises. We create bridges between innovators and major corporations, governmental, and defense organizations with funded projects and into research divisions at the University of Rhode Island and other universities and institutions across the region that offer facilities for research, prototyping, testing and validation of concepts alongside faculty researchers and students. 401 Tech Bridge acts as a one-stop resource to help companies accelerate the journey from concept to prototype to commercialization while making the transfer of technology faster, easier, and more collaborative. Tech Bridge will play a key role for URI’s plastics initiative in discussions and innovations in advanced materials and technologies.
Composites Alliance of Rhode Island
The Composites Alliance of Rhode Island was formed to grow this sector and ensure purchasers of composites technology around the world know about the strong capabilities resident in the state. The Composites Alliance also provides a nexus where these Rhode Island companies can share expertise and ideas and focuses on workforce-development programs to ensure a skilled labor pool.
The Rhode Island Textile Innovation Network
The Rhode Island Textile Innovation Network (RITIN) is an affiliation of textile manufacturers positioning Rhode Island as a leader in advanced textile manufacturing, developing solutions to recruit and train our sector’s future workforce, and increasing opportunities for innovation and business development by forming worthwhile partnerships among textile manufacturers, design professionals, academia and government. RITIN was founded by U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse and the University of Rhode Island Business Engagement Center and is a project of Polaris MEP with support from the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training’s Real Jobs RI program and the Rhode Island Commerce Corporation. RITIN plays an important role in URI’s exploration of microfibers impact and exploring and advancing new materials in the textile industry.
Coastal Resource Center
The Coastal Resources Center (CRC) helps communities become more effective stewards of their coastal and marine resources. CRC partners with stakeholders to apply science and find solutions to societal issues. Working with communities, other universities, industry, and government, we respond to issues that matter and build the capabilities of our collaborators and ourselves. It is located in the Graduate School of Oceanography at the University of Rhode. CRC plays a critical role connecting URI with local to global partners advocating for marine resources and concerned about marine debris.
Rhode Island Sea Grant
Rhode Island Sea Grant is one of 34 programs in the National Sea Grant College Program working to enhance environmental stewardship and long-term economic development and responsible use of coastal and marine resources. Located at the University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography, Rhode Island Sea Grant supports research, outreach, and education programs designed to foster the resiliency of local and regional communities and marine environments.
U.S. Extruders
US Extruders manufactures custom single screw extruders, extrusion systems, and screws for plastic, rubber, and silicone. Each extruder is designed to order and built to unique specifications. Our extruders are designed to be robust and serviceable and go through a factory acceptance test to arrive to you ready to run.