The Center for Automotive Research is leading up a study group that is looking at the use of bio-based materials in the North American auto industry.
Ann Arbor, Mich.-based CAR and its partners formed the "Biotech Partnership" to look at bio-based materials — including resins and composites — and received a nearly $1.5 million federal grant to look at the supply chain for those resins.
The project will focus on how to build and support job creation for bio-based parts, said Kim Hills, director of the sustainability and economic development strategies group at CAR.
Other partners in the project are the Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center, the Macomb/St. Clair Workforce Development Board and the National Center for Manufacturing Sciences.
The Biotech Partnership will focus on projects within Michigan near Detroit.