The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), in partnership with the MSI STEM Research & Development Consortium (MSRDC), announced a new request for proposals (RFP) to connect underrepresented groups from Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) to the expertise, network, and resources at DOE’s Clean Energy Manufacturing Innovation Institutes.
This program leverages DOE’s institutes with unique innovation ecosystems and expertise in discreet advanced manufacturing areas ranging from smart and cyber-secure manufacturing to sustainable manufacturing for the circular economy. The RFP will support research by historically underrepresented groups in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and to diversify leadership across America’s manufacturing sector. Selected teams of graduate and undergraduate students, with the guidance of experienced principal investigators from DOE’s institutes, will work to further innovation in the following areas:
- Wide Band Gap Power Electronics: At the Power America Institute, teams focus on enhancing Wide Bandgap power electronics to meet industry-defined market needs as detailed in the SiC and GaN roadmaps.
- Carbon Fiber Composites: At the Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation (IACMI), teams are concentrated on fostering manufacturing techniques for cost-effective and energy-efficient advanced composites, aiming to decrease technical risks and fortify the supply chain.
- Process Intensification and Modular Chemical Process Intensification: At the Rapid Advancement in Process Intensification Deployment (RAPID) Institute, teams seek to revolutionize the process industries, emphasizing efficient processes and distributed industrial modularization, with a keen focus on renewable bio products and natural gas upgrading.
- Recycle, Reuse, and Remanufacturing: At the Reducing EMbodied Energy and Decreasing Emissions (REMADE) Institute, teams work to revolutionize the Circular Economy, aiming to expedite sustainable manufacturing innovations that offer tangible energy, environmental, and economic benefits.
- Smart Manufacturing: At the Clean Energy Smart Manufacturing Innovation Institute (CESMII), teams prioritize Smart Manufacturing innovations, aiming to create emerging technologies that democratize the concept of Smart Manufacturing.
- Cyber Security for Manufacturing: At the Cybersecurity Manufacturing Innovation Institute (CyManII), teams prioritize a comprehensive approach to cybersecurity in manufacturing, encompassing R&D, supply chains, and factory automation, to ensure a resilient manufacturing ecosystem.
Applications for stage 1 are due on September 12, 2023. Learn more and apply to the program here.
MSRDC collaborates closely with DOE’s Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Office (AMMTO) This collaboration emphasizes the alignment of MSRDC's mission with AMMTO's goals of accelerating the adoption of innovative materials and manufacturing technologies for a sustainable, decarbonized economy.
DOE’s Clean Energy Manufacturing Innovation Institutes are part of Manufacturing USA®, a network of federally funded institutes that have a specialized technology focus to increase U.S. manufacturing competitiveness and promote a robust and sustainable national manufacturing R&D infrastructure.