MIT lands Ford’s funds

The Ford Motor Co. and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are teaming up in an endeavor to create sustainable transportation, the auto manufacturer announced last week.

Calling the collaboration an energy research partnership, Ford officials say the focus will go toward new powertrain, fuel and energy technologies. The college and the carmaker have previously worked in concert, and the new alliance makes Ford the “inaugural Sustaining Member” of the MIT Energy Initiative, said Susan Hockfield, the college’s president.

According to the Boston Herald, Ford will be giving MIT a $5 million grant, $1 million per year over the next five years.