Honda Invests $2.6 Million in New Research Lab on Ohio State’s Campus
By Joe Frye
Honda is expanding its research partnership with The Ohio State University through a $2.6 million investment to establish a new Advanced Materials Science Lab on the school’s SciTech Campus. The project will build on the automaker’s existing innovation hub at OSU, 99P Labs, which opened in 2018 to connect students, faculty and industry experts in developing cutting-edge mobility technologies.
The new lab will focus on quantum technologies, hydrogen fuel cells, carbon capture, electric-vehicle batteries and battery recycling—fields seen as key to Honda’s push toward a carbon-neutral future. The facility is expected to open later this year and will serve as a shared research space where engineers and scientists from both Honda and Ohio State can test and refine emerging technologies.
“As Honda continues to invest in the future of mobility, including what powers it, Ohio continues to be one of our most important centers of innovation,” says Christopher Brooks, Honda’s chief scientist and Honda Research Institute US division director.
The State of Ohio is also backing the project with a $500,000 research and development grant, citing the lab as a driver for workforce development and high-tech growth. Honda’s ties to Ohio State stretch back to 1987, when the company supported the creation of the university’s Transportation Research Center. Since then, Honda’s total investment in OSU-based research initiatives has surpassed $50 million.
The new SciTech lab underscores Honda’s ongoing commitment to keeping Ohio at the forefront of advanced manufacturing and clean-energy innovation.