NEW ULM — The U.S. Chamber of Commerce awarded a $143,000 planning grant to the New Ulm Business Resource and Innovation Center (NUBRIC) and Region 9 for a robotic and automation program.

In July 2022, NUBRIC and Region 9 applied for a federal grant to help plan for a robotics and automation lab in the Brown County area. A year after submitting the application it was announced NUBRIC and Region 9 were approved. The $143,000 grant covers 18 months of planning for the proposed New Ulm Robotics and Automation Program (NURAP).

NUBRIC President Paul Wessel said this grant will allow them to take the first step in bringing automation-based education to the region. Wessel believes the trend in business is toward further automation. Everything from manufacturing to healthcare and agriculture is seeing increased automation.

“There will be as much robotics in agriculture as in manufacturing,” Wessel said. “We must give kids the skill sets to compete.”

By bringing a robotics and automation program to the region, Brown County could give a headstart to the next generation of workers. It could also help attract other tech-based businesses to the area. However, several questions need to be answered before NURAP can begin. Wessel said the $143,000 grant is to plan and help answer questions about how NURAP will be implemented.

Some of the questions revolve around locations. At this time, there is no agreed-upon location to build a robotic lab. The plan is to have access to people beyond New Ulm.

“This is not just for New Ulm,” Wessel said. “We want to reach out to other areas of Brown County that could benefit from learning about robotics.”

Regardless of the final location, transportation will need to be considered, as well as who will be attending. The first step will be to begin meeting with different groups and stakeholders. Wessel said they will want to hold conversations with area schools to discuss potential students’ needs.

The planning process will also look outside of the Brown County area. Based on demographic data, Wessel believes many of the next generation of workers could be immigrants. The planning process will look into providing instruction in multiple languages.

It is possible some automation students could be single parents. Is there a way to provide for daycare? What type of equipment will be needed for the program? What will local industries be willing to support?

Another part of the planning is getting community buy-in for the robotics and automation program. Wessel said market data and trends point to automation and robotics technology being the future of the industry, but validating this information with the public is necessary.

Some companies like 3M have already gotten behind the initiative but Wessel said it would help to have further support.

After the planning stage is complete, NUBRIC and Region 9 will use the information to apply for further federal grants to fund NURAP.

Wessel said they are looking to complete the planning process for NURAP in 2024.