The Mississippi Polymer Institute (MPI) at The University of Southern Mississippi helped to create 36 job opportunities in Mississippi, from creating aerospace composites to plastic bags, and brought in $4 million in revenue.

According to an InnovateMEP Mississippi survey, this is the result of a year’s work providing seven of the state’s manufacturing companies with technical assistance through workforce training, 3D printing and technical services of physical and analytical testing.

MPI offers training courses in subjects such as specialized composites and lean manufacturing.

Robert Thompson, interim director of MPI, said in a Southern Miss press release that the institute is proud to be a part of the network of services offered across the state through InnovateMEP.

“This is an example of Southern Miss supporting the community, the state-wide manufacturing community,” Thompson said. “These results attest to the hard work of MPI team members over the past year. We remain eager to provide assistance to companies across Mississippi.”

Thompson said the goal of MPI is to grow polymer science business in Mississippi and ultimately lead manufacturers to compete globally. Established in 1993, MPI has worked for 78 companies in 25 counties across Mississippi.

“We work with MPI on various projects and I think they are a great asset for the state providing technical assistance,” said Chad Miller, associate professor of the Masters of Science in Economic Development Program. “They are doing some really cool stuff helping to commercialize USM research,” Miller said.

For more information visit www.thepolymerinstitute.com or www.usm.edu/polymers.