Manufacturing Innovation Institutes
Abstract
Technological innovation and leadership in manufacturing are essential to sustaining the foundations of economic competitiveness to maintain technological advantage and global dominance for our military. To support these goals, Manufacturing USA institutes, each led by non-profit 501(c) entities, have been established by the Department to serve as national assests with headquarters and regional hubs to accelerate technological innovation into commercial applications and concurrently develop the educational competencies and production processes via shared public-private sectors. Collaborative execution and funding by the Departments of Defense (DoD), Energy (DOE), and Commerce (DoC), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and the National Science Foundation (NSF) to support the establishment of these Manufacturing USA institutes will spur industry cost-share for manufacturing innovation and quickly develop a pathway for technology-focused regional hubs for collaboration among government, industry, and academia that will meet critical government and Warfighter needs. The overall concept of the Manufacturing USA program (previously named the National Network for Manufacturing Innovation until changed in FY16) and the design of its manufacturing innovation institutes are provided in several key federal documents; among them: 1) the President’s National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) report by the Advanced Manufacturing National Program Office entitled, “National Network for Manufacturing Innovation: A Preliminary Design,” published in January 2013, and more recently, in the following two NSTC reports: 2) ”National Network for Manufacturing Innovation Program Strategic Plan” and 3) “National Network for Manufacturing Innovation Annual Report,” both published in February 2016. Each of the eight DoD-led Manufacturing USA institutes addressed in this budget is expected to be self-sustaining, without reliance on federal sustainment funding, by the end of the period defined by the respective cooperative agreement (CA) or technology investment agreement (TIA) between the federal government and the non-profit organization leading each institute consortium of members. This CA/TIA period is typically for five years, with the flexibility to extend the agreement up to two years for the benefit of DoD projects, technical achievement, etc., and to fully leverage the minimum 1:1 cost share. Each of the eight DoD-led Manufacturing USA institutes is intended to: 1) Bring together industry, universities and community colleges, federal agencies, and state and local governments and organizations to create regionally-based but nationally-impactful public-private partnerships underpinning the formation of sustainable manufacturing innovation ecosystems 2) Accelerate innovation to bridge the gap between Research and Development (R&D) and deployment of technological innovations in domestic production of goods 3) Invest in industrially relevant manufacturing technologies with broad applications, accelerating innovation within DoD and across all manufacturing sectors to increase U.S. competitiveness 4) Provide shared assets to help companies access cutting-edge capabilities and equipment 5) Create an unparalleled environment to educate and train students and workers in advanced manufacturing skills 6) Focus on maturing the associated manufacturing technologies typically from from Manufacturing Readiness Level (MRL) 4 through 7 The first and second year of each of these new institutes is devoted to establishing a sustainable business model and operations, with continued refinement throughout the full period of the cooperative agreement, including: expanding the institute’s membership base (as appropriate); establishing and solidifying revenue streams (e.g., funding from new R&D activity, membership fees, training and workforce development, certification and licensing, etc.); establishing provisional Executive Council and Technical Advisory committees to execute the business of each institute; finalizing Intellectual Property plans; developing technology roadmaps to inform investment strategies; opening industrial commons to provide for shared resource facilities available to all institute members; initiating workforce training programs in each technology area; establishing complementary relationships between Manufacturing USA institutes; analyzing the U.S. and Global industrial base in partnership with other government agencies to build upon the institute portfolio and address critical requirements; and further developing national technology roadmaps.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Project
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 2019
- Source ID
- 350_0603680D8Z_3_0400_PB_2019
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