Manufacturing.gov News

FACT SHEET: Biden-⁠Harris Administration Highlights New Commitments Toward Equitable Workforce Development in Advanced Manufacturing

amnpo@nist.gov — Tue, 23 Jan 2024 12:00:00 +0000

Today, the Biden-Harris Administration will announce new commitments to workforce development from the Advanced Manufacturing Workforce Sprint. The Sprint, which First Lady Jill Biden announced in May and the Administration kicked off in October, is an intensive drive to build a diverse, skilled pipeline of workers for good advanced manufacturing jobs, including union jobs, many of which do not require a four-year college degree. This comes as President Biden’s historic Investing in America agenda—including the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, CHIPS and Science Act, Inflation Reduction Act, and American Rescue Plan—is creating strong demand for skilled advanced manufacturing workers in clean energy, biotechnology, semiconductors, and more.

Today, Neera Tanden, Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, in partnership with the National Economic Council, will highlight some of the many new commitments in remarks to 850 community college and other labor and workforce leaders in New Orleans, Louisiana. More than 160 organizations are participating in the Sprint—including community colleges, employers, unions, education and training providers, community-based groups, philanthropic organizations, and state and local governments—by taking tangible steps to help more Americans train for and succeed in good advanced manufacturing jobs and careers.

In the three months since the Administration kicked off the Advanced Manufacturing Workforce Sprint:

Over 160 organizations have made new commitments to workforce development and job quality in advanced manufacturing.
Over 150 new advanced manufacturing-related Registered Apprenticeship programs and occupations have been created or are newly under development.
Over 4,700 new apprentices have been hired in advanced manufacturing occupations.
The Administration is announcing new investments—including more than $50 million in January alone—to grow and diversify America’s advanced manufacturing workforce.
The AFL-CIO Working for America Institute, in partnership with labor and industry, will lead development of a universal pathway curriculum for advanced manufacturing to provide students and workers an onramp to good advanced manufacturing careers.

The Biden-Harris Administration continues to encourage and support expansion of high-quality pathways into advanced manufacturing, and invites additional interested organizations to join the Sprint by submitting a commitment.

Alongside Director Tanden’s remarks today, the Administration is highlighting dozens of concrete actions by Sprint participants and agencies to expand high-quality pathways into good advanced manufacturing jobs and careers:

The Department of Labor announced that more than 4,700 apprentices have been hired and more than 150 new programs and occupations created or under development during the course of its Advanced Manufacturing Registered Apprenticeship Accelerator Series. The effort was launched on October 6 to meet critical recruitment, retention, and training needs in advanced manufacturing occupations—including in the clean energy, semiconductor, aerospace, automotive, and biotechnology sectors. Registered Apprenticeship programs offer a proven earn-and-learn pathway that benefit workers and employers alike.
Examples of employer and non-profit actions to expand Registered Apprenticeship programs and other high-quality pathways include:
- Multiverse, in collaboration with partners such as Rolls Royce, will scale its advanced manufacturing-related Registered Apprenticeship programs to support 1,000 roles, such as Data Analyst, over the next two years.
- Rockwell Automation, a smart manufacturing company, will expand its Academy of Advanced Manufacturing, a 12-week residential program in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Cleveland, Ohio that equips veterans with the technical and workplace skills to fill in-demand manufacturing jobs. The program has served over 500 participants, 38 percent of whom are people of color.
- Micron, the only U.S.-based leading-edge semiconductor manufacturing company, partnered with the Idaho Manufacturing Alliance and College of Western Idaho to expand their first-ever Registered Apprenticeship Program in Advanced Mechatronics. Micron is also advancing its partnerships with community colleges to increase recruitment of underrepresented students, including with a $5 million investment to Onondaga Community College to support a new Micron Cleanroom Simulation Laboratory.
- Independent Electrical Contractors (IEC) – Atlanta/Georgia Chapters, a non-profit trade organization, committed to hiring 125 additional Electrical Registered Apprentices. 
- Global Foundries, semiconductor contract manufacturing and design company, has committed to enrolling 130 incumbent workers in its Industrial Manufacturing Technician Registered Apprenticeship program.
- Jobs for the Future (JFF), a workforce development organization, will register at least 825 apprentices annually, at least 50 percent of whom will be from populations underrepresented in the advanced manufacturing workforce. JFF will also provide free coaching and technical assistance—including on equitable recruiting strategies—for employers and other group sponsors launching a registered apprenticeship in manufacturing.
Examples of community college actions to increase high-quality programming and partnerships include:
- Delta College in Michigan plans to enroll 300 students during the first two years of a new 15-week accelerated technician certificate program or engineering degree programs this year, both developed in partnership with local semiconductor manufacturers Hemlock and SK Siltron. Delta will recruit students from local K-12 schools and provide wraparound supports such as housing stipends, child care, transportation and food assistance, and healthcare, partnering with local community groups.
- Nunez Community College in Louisiana, in partnership with NASA and Boeing, will register its Aerospace Manufacturing Technology Training program as a Registered Apprenticeship program.
- Fullerton Community College in Californiawill work with up to 100 area employers to implement Registered Apprenticeships for CNC/Machinists.
- St. Petersburg Community College in Florida, in partnership with GE Aerospace, plans to launch a new Registered Apprenticeship program in Avionic Technology in early 2024.
- Leeward Community College in Hawaii will create new specializations in Advanced Additive Manufacturing, Robotics, Cobotics, accessible as part of an associate’s degree in Integrated Industrial Technology or as a stackable credential for workers seeking to upskill.
- Parkland College in Illinois, in partnership with AGCO, an American agricultural machinery manufacturer, will launch a Registered Apprenticeship program in 2024 for Agricultural Equipment Technicians, which will target underserved youth.
Examples of partnerships between unions, employers, and education providers to deliver high-quality pathways into good advanced manufacturing jobs and careers include:
- The American Federation of Teachers (AFT)—in partnership with the New York State United Teachers, the United Federation of Teachers, Micron, and Governor Kathy Hochul—launched a $4 million project to develop an Advanced Technology Framework for students to hone technical skills for semiconductor jobs, which will be piloted in 10 school districts starting next fall.
- In March, the Department of Labor will launch a National Manufacturing Sector Table of leading labor, industry and workforce organizations in the manufacturing sector and support them to develop and lift up workforce solutions that equitably build and grow the next generation of the manufacturing workforce.
- The AFL-CIO Working for America Institute (WAI) will support DOL’s Sector Table by working with other organizations to develop, scale, and adopt a universal pathway curriculum for advanced manufacturing. The universal pathway will provide workers and students an onramp to a variety of good manufacturing jobs and careers, while creating a pipeline of job-ready workers for employers.
- SME—a nonprofit association of professionals, manufacturers, educators, and students committed to supporting the manufacturing industry—announced the Manufacturing Imperative – Workforce Pipeline Challenge (MI-WPC), a collaboration with 25 community and technical colleges, each of member which aims to enroll 1,000 individuals per year in pathways that lead to family-sustaining manufacturing jobs.
- North America’s Building Trades Unions (NABTU), the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), and the National Education Association (NEA) will develop and disseminate a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) template to help local school districts, community colleges, and unions form partnerships to build students’ awareness of and access to good union careers—building on similar MOUs announced in the Augusta Workforce Hub. The template may include language for developing training partnerships such as pre-apprenticeship and Registered Apprenticeship programs; engaging education professionals such as school counselors and career and technical education (CTE) instructors; and reaching underrepresented students. Local areas can adapt the template for their needs and apply it in construction trades, advanced manufacturing, and other sectors.
The White House Workforce Hubs—announced in five cities across the country that are seeing significant public- and private-sector investment—continue to lead the way on equitable workforce development, including for good advanced manufacturing jobs and careers. For example:
- In Columbus, Columbus State Community College (CSCC) launched its semiconductor technician certificate program developed with Intel—announced during First Lady Jill Biden’s visit to the Columbus Workforce Hub in July—which is part of a suite of engineering technology programs that CSCC plans to grow fourfold by 2030, enrolling 5,000 students a year.
- In Pittsburgh, the German American Chamber of Commerce, Pittsburgh Chapter will launch a new Electric Vehicle (EV) Technician Registered Apprenticeship in August 2024. Five employers have signed on to host apprentices; the program is committed to having the highest safety standards for its apprentices in the industry.
- In Augusta, Augusta Technical College, in collaboration with the Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL), announced it will enhance its Nuclear Engineering Technology program curriculum, supported by a $500,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Minority Serving Institutions Partnership Program (MSIPP). The initiative includes establishing a new apprenticeship program at SRNL; adding modules for radiation control and protection; and engaging high school students early through site visits, hands-on learning experiences, and a summer internship program.
- In Phoenix, the City—in partnership with Arizona State University (ASU), Maricopa County Community College District (MCCCD), and Western Maricopa Education Center (West-MEC)—is establishing Innovation 27, a workforce training and education collaborative focused on semiconductor, bioscience, information technology, healthcare, and other emerging industries. It is supported by $18.5 million in funding from President Biden’s American Rescue Plan.
The 17 Manufacturing USA Institutes, which collectively comprise over 2,500 member organizations across the nation and engage more than 106,000 people in advanced manufacturing training, announced recent steps to expand workforce development:
- Revitalizing America’s Manufacturing Workforce—a national roadmap to develop advanced manufacturing technologies, grow the advanced manufacturing workforce, and connect workers to good jobs in advanced manufacturing.
- BioFabUSA welcomed the inaugural cohort of the first-of-its-kind Biofabrication Technician Registered Apprenticeship Program in November. Apprentices completed customized coursework in math, biology, chemistry, and cell culture, along with soft skills and hands-on training to prepare them for the workplace. Participants will begin a year of on-the-job training, with pay and benefits, in late January 2024.
- NIMBL, the Department of Commerce Manufacturing USA Institute, launched its 2024 application for the NIMBL eXperience program, which will offer postsecondary students real-world exploration of careers in the biopharmaceutical industry, targeting students of color, including at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).

These commitments complement new and ongoing federal investments to expand and diversify the advanced manufacturing workforce, including:

The Department of Labor awarded more than $65 million to develop, scale, and diversify Registered Apprenticeship programs to 46 states and territories—with 19 states focusing on advanced manufacturing as a target sector with $36 million in formula funds.
The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) launched a $28 million Future Manufacturing competition on January 10 to catalyze new manufacturing capabilities that do not exist today through research, education, and workforce training that will overcome scientific, technological, educational, economic, and social barriers. Applicants must develop a plan to prepare diverse students and a skilled technical workforce that can transition new discoveries into U.S. manufacturing enterprise.
NSF will announce upwards of $20 million for its Experiential Learning in Emerging and Novel Technologies (ExLENT) program in March. ExLENT is a first-of-a-kind training initiative that provides paid experiential learning opportunities such as Registered Apprenticeships to current professionals in any field, helping them build the skills they need to pivot into careers in emerging technology fields, such as advanced manufacturing, microelectronics, biomanufacturing, and energy. This new announcement will build on NSF’s inaugural ExLENT awards of $18.8 million to 27 project teams.
On January 22, Department of Energy (DOE) announced its intent to invest up to $24 million in high-quality training for union apprentices, incumbent workers, and students for in-demand jobs in advanced manufacturing and clean energy through the Industrial Assessment Centers (IAC) Program. The announcement is part of the IAC Program’s unprecedented expansion to include Registered Apprenticeship, union-led training, and community and technical college programs through President Biden’s Investing in America agenda. It follows DOE’s $40 million investment, announced in November, to support 17 new IACs as well as the inaugural cohort of 10 Building Training and Assessment Centers.

The Biden-Harris Administration’s Advanced Manufacturing Sprint builds on the Administration’s prior workforce sprints, which have driven commitments to equitable workforce development and job quality improvement to address critical needs. These include efforts to expand Registered Apprenticeships in trucking and cybersecurity, and to build pathways into good jobs and careers in broadband, electrification, and construction through the Talent Pipeline Challenge. The Sprint also supports the goals of the plan to expand education and training opportunities to biotechnology and biomanufacturing released in July.

Dear Colleague Letter: Aligning Fundamental Research and Education in Advanced Manufacturing with the Objectives of the Manufacturing USA Institutes

amnpo@nist.gov — Mon, 16 Oct 2023 12:00:00 +0000

Manufacturing USA is a national network of manufacturing institutes established in 2014 by the multi-agency collaboration that guided its formation. Each Institute focuses on a specific manufacturing technology and the education of a skilled workforce to advance it and has the corresponding expertise, facilities, infrastructure and university and industrial membership to undertake projects that transition manufacturing technologies from Manufacturing Readiness Level (MRL) 4 (laboratory demonstration) to MRL 7 (implementation in an environment representative of production). The objectives of the Manufacturing USA institutes are highly complementary to those of the National Science Foundation (NSF), which focus on MRL 1 (basic research) to MRL 3 (proof of concept), providing opportunities to speed the translation of NSF-sponsored research and educational innovations to use.

Manufacturing USA Institutes cover a wide range of topical areas that span the challenging and high-tech world of advanced manufacturing, from biopharmaceutical production and tissue printing to robotics and cybersecurity. NSF is interested in receiving proposals addressing critical fundamental research on and workforce development needs for advanced manufacturing that enable innovations in the technical focus areas of one or more of the Manufacturing USA Institutes.

This DCL encourages the submission of research and educational proposals that align with the technical focus areas of the Manufacturing USA Institutes to established NSF programs in the Directorates for Engineering (ENG), STEM Education (EDU), and Technology Innovation and Partnerships (TIP). Proposal submissions should detail explicit collaborations with Institutes to facilitate the transition of promising research results and educational programs to them, leverage the programs, facilities, infrastructure, expertise, and member companies of one or more Institutes, and/or provide experiential learning opportunities for students. Proposal submissions that include internship opportunities for student researchers in the institutes and their member companies are strongly encouraged.

White House Kicks off Sprint to Catalyze Workforce Development Efforts for Advanced Manufacturing Jobs and Careers

amnpo@nist.gov — Fri, 06 Oct 2023 12:00:00 +0000

To launch the third Investing in America tour, the Biden-Harris Administration is hosting a White House convening to officially kick off its Advanced Manufacturing Workforce Sprint—an intensive drive to build a diverse, skilled pipeline of workers for good jobs, including union jobs, in advanced manufacturing. The President’s historic Investing in America agenda—including the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, CHIPS and Science Act, Inflation Reduction Act, and American Rescue Plan—is creating strong demand for the skilled advanced manufacturing workers in clean energy, biotechnology, semiconductors, and more.

The nationwide sprint is bringing together employers, unions, education and training providers, community-based groups, philanthropic organizations, and state and local governments to take concrete steps to help more Americans train for and succeed in this growing field. Over the next two weeks, as part of the third installment of the Investing in America tour, President Biden and senior Administration officials will travel to communities across the country to highlight the impact of the President’s Bidenomics agenda—including how his Administration is creating manufacturing jobs in industries of the future. To celebrate the official kickoff of the Investing in America tour and the Sprint, President Biden will deliver remarks marking Jobs Day and National Manufacturing Day, citing the 800,000 manufacturing jobs created under his Administration. First Lady Jill Biden is also visiting Dutchess Community College in Fishkill, New York today to attend the launch of a new mechatronics training lab funded in part by the President’s American Rescue Plan.

A Proclamation on National Manufacturing Day, 2023

amnpo@nist.gov — Fri, 06 Oct 2023 12:00:00 +0000

On National Manufacturing Day, we celebrate American workers — the best workers in the world, who are leading a new manufacturing boom in our Nation — and we pledge to keep investing in them to make sure the future is Made in America.

Manufacturing is the backbone of our economy, but for the past few decades, we have not always treated it that way. We were told that trickle-down economics was the only way forward ‑- cutting taxes for the wealthy and big corporations; slashing public investment in priorities like education, infrastructure, and health care; and letting American manufacturing jobs be shipped overseas. As a result, economic inequality only grew. And with every manufacturing town that was hollowed out, communities lost not just jobs but also pride and self-worth.

I ran for President to change that — to grow our economy from the middle out and bottom up, not the top down, moving from trickle-down economics to what some in the press are calling “Bidenomics.” Our plan is working. We have seen over 13 million new jobs created, including 800,000 manufacturing jobs. Unemployment has been below 4 percent for the longest stretch in over 50 years. And our inflation rate is among the lowest across the world’s major economies. It is simple: Bidenomics means we are growing our economy by strengthening the middle class and making things in America again.

Biden-Harris Administration Announces $22 Million to Support Smart Manufacturing at Small- and Medium-sized Facilities Across the Nation.

amnpo@nist.gov — Wed, 27 Sep 2023 12:00:00 +0000

In support of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, a key pillar of Bidenomics, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced $22 million to 12 state-run programs to accelerate smart manufacturing at small- and medium-sized facilities. Funded by the President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the State Manufacturing Leadership Program aims to make smart manufacturing technologies and high-performance computing more accessible for use across the domestic manufacturing sector, which accounts for over one-sixth of U.S. carbon emissions and nearly a quarter of the nation’s energy usage. This funding will help states remove existing barriers that inhibit the ability of small- and medium-sized manufacturers (SMMs) to utilize innovative, data-driven tools and technologies—improving production efficiency to reduce costs, support new domestic manufacturing opportunities, and cut harmful emissions. Advancing sustainable, next-generation tools and resources in the manufacturing sector is key to achieving the Biden-Harris Administration’s ambitious goal of a net-zero economy by 2050 and will help revitalize and strengthen America’s global leadership in manufacturing.

“America’s manufacturing sector is the backbone of our nation’s economy, and President Biden is laser-focused on ensuring this industry—and the workforce it supports—prospers well into the 21st Century,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. “Thanks to the President’s Investing in America agenda, DOE is helping provide the innovative tools needed to improve efficiency and reduce costs—supporting state efforts to bolster manufacturing competitiveness while combatting the climate crisis.”

DOE Continues Commitment to Smart Manufacturing Innovation by Renewing UCLA’s Clean Energy Smart Manufacturing Innovation Institute

amnpo@nist.gov — Fri, 15 Sep 2023 12:00:00 +0000

The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Office (AMMTO) today announced renewed funding for the Clean Energy Smart Manufacturing Innovation Institute (CESMII), DOE’s institute expressly dedicated to smart manufacturing (SM) innovation. CESMII will receive an initial $6 million with potential additional funding across four subsequent fiscal years. The purpose of this renewed funding is to further advance the widespread adoption of SM, a technology that remains crucial for the domestic competitiveness of clean energy manufacturing and to accelerate America’s transition to a net-zero carbon economy.

Since its creation in 2016, CESMII, through its program home at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), has built a robust public-private partnership with 181 current member organizations to date across industry and academia. As DOE’s third established institute, CESMII has developed foundational SM solutions, technologies, practices, and educational content to develop the smart manufacturing workforce of the future.

“Over the past seven years, CESMII has scaled a diverse ecosystem of innovation and expertise,” said AMMTO Director Dr. Christopher Saldaña. “The institute has been highly successful in developing and deploying SM solutions across a wide swath of industry sectors and supply chains that are critical to a clean, decarbonized economy. The Institute's sustained focus on small and medium-sized manufacturers continues to drive change from the ground up.”

CESMII has established a network of SM regional Innovation Centers across the nation to support and promote SM across the U.S. In addition, the institute’s education and workforce development initiatives have produced over 50 SM courses to train over 6,000 members of the manufacturing workforce annually. With this renewed funding, CESMII will continue its work in SM research development and demonstration, workforce training and development, and the scale and deployment of SM across industry.

This federal funding builds upon initial federal funding of $70 million, in addition to $72.8 million in cost share from its member partners, for a total of $142.8 million in initial funding.

DOE and MSRDC Partner to Expand Access to Expertise at Clean Energy Manufacturing Innovation Institutes

amnpo@nist.gov — Tue, 12 Sep 2023 12:00:00 +0000

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.

DOE Extends Commitment to Enhanced Semiconductors Through PowerAmerica Institute Renewal

amnpo@nist.gov — Thu, 17 Aug 2023 12:00:00 +0000

Continued investment in wide bandgap (WBG) semiconductor technologies helps accelerate more powerful, energy efficient power electronics that drive electrification and emissions reductions across the economy

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Office (AMMTO) announced renewed funding for PowerAmerica, DOE’s first Clean Energy Manufacturing Innovation Institute. PowerAmerica will receive an initial $8 million, with potential funding across four more fiscal years to follow, to continue advancing domestic manufacturing of next-generation WBG semiconductors for power electronics to aid economy-wide decarbonization and electrification.

WBG semiconductors use cutting-edge materials that enable power electronics that are used in a range of applications—including industrial equipment, data centers, consumer devices, electric vehicles, and more. Silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN) WBG semiconductor technology makes the power electronic modules significantly more powerful and energy efficient than those made from conventional semiconductor materials, namely silicon. These high-performance power electronics can increase electric vehicle driving range; help integrate renewable energy into the electric grid; and lead to significant energy savings.

“The work PowerAmerica—and its 82 member organizations spanning industry, academia, and national labs—is doing to galvanize commercialization of high-performance power electronics is invaluable to our clean energy future,” said AMMTO Director Chris Saldaña. “PowerAmerica has catalyzed an innovation ecosystem that touches nearly every sector up and down each supply chain.”

Raleigh-based PowerAmerica commercialized more than 10 WBG technologies over five years. To date, 40 percent of PowerAmerica’s 60 projects have reached or are set to reach commercial status.

Not only is PowerAmerica innovating semiconductors that surpass operational limitations of traditional silicon-based designs, but it also focuses on training the future workforce of America’s manufacturing sector through its strong education and workforce development (EWD) program. Since launching in 2014, PowerAmerica has trained more than; 400 masters and PhD students, 300 short course attendees, 1,800 tutorial participants, and 9,000 K-12 students in STEM programs, including 2,000 participants of hands-on trainings. These numbers are particularly important in addressing the acute workforce shortage the power electronics industry faces, and scaling up PowerAmerica’s existing EWD program is a proposed focus of the new federal funding.

This federal funding builds upon initial federal funding of $70 million, in addition to $81 million in cost share from its member partners, for a total of $151 million.

DOE Selects Arizona State University to Lead New Institute on Industrial Decarbonization

amnpo@nist.gov — Tue, 16 May 2023 12:00:00 +0000

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced the selection of Arizona State University to lead the seventh Clean Energy Manufacturing Innovation Institute. EPIXC will mobilize a coalition of private companies, National Labs, universities, labor unions, and community partners and will allocate up to $70 million in federal funding over the next five years* for research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) projects to electrify process heating and decarbonize the industrial sector. EPIXC will advance President Biden’s climate goals to build an industrial sector that is more resilient, efficient, and competitive and set the United States on a path to net-zero emissions by 2050.

From chemicals and paper to machinery and vehicles, the industrial sector manufactures products that are critical to our economy. However, to achieve the nation’s climate goals, we must decarbonize this vital sector which is responsible for more than 30% of the country’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. To achieve deep decarbonization, industries must work together to find solutions that span the entire industrial sector.

“Achieving the nation’s climate goals will require an all-hands-on-deck, multidimensional approach to eliminating industrial emissions,” said Alejandro Moreno, Acting Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. “Our newest institute, EPIXC, will focus on one of the key pillars of industrial decarbonization—electrification—to dramatically slash emissions while helping to strengthen and secure America’s leadership in the global clean energy economy.”

Biden-Harris Administration Announces $50 Million to Incentivize Smart Manufacturing at Small- and Medium-Sized Facilities

amnpo@nist.gov — Fri, 31 Mar 2023 12:00:00 +0000

The Biden-Harris Administration, through the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), today announced $50 million in funding from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for states to ensure that smart manufacturing technologies and high-performance computing are more accessible by domestic manufacturing firms. The State Manufacturing Leadership Program aims to remove existing barriers that prevent innovative, data-driven tools and technologies from being used by small- and medium-sized manufacturers (SMMs). These critical tools will allow SMMs to increase production efficiency and play key roles in bolstering the domestic manufacturing base. Widespread deployment of smart manufacturing is key to achieving the President’s goal of a net-zero economy by 2050 and will help to secure America’s global leadership in manufacturing for decades to come.

“Unlocking the potential for small- and medium-sized clean energy manufacturing facilities to use the same technologies as larger facilities will make us more competitive on a global scale,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. “This funding opportunity will ensure that the benefits of a clean energy economy are felt across the country.”

Biden Administration Releases Implementation Strategy for $50 Billion CHIPS for America program

amnpo@nist.gov — Wed, 07 Sep 2022 12:00:00 +0000

The U.S. Department of Commerce released its strategy outlining how the Department will implement $50 billion from the bipartisan CHIPS Act of 2022, signed by President Biden last month. The CHIPS for America program, housed within the Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), will revitalize the domestic semiconductor industry and spur innovation while creating good-paying jobs in communities across the country.

“Rebuilding America’s leadership in the semiconductor industry is a down payment on our future as a global leader,” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. “CHIPS for America, will ensure continued US leadership in the industries that underpin our national security and economic competitiveness. Under President Biden’s leadership, we are once again making things in America, revitalizing our manufacturing industry after decades of disinvestment and making the investments we need to lead the world in technology and innovation.”

The strategy, released today, outlines the initiatives, strategic goals, and guardrails guiding the CHIPS for America program.

The program’s four primary goals are:

Establish and expand domestic production of leading edge semiconductors in the US, of which the US currently makes 0% of the world’s supply
Build a sufficient and stable supply of mature node semiconductors
Invest in R&D to ensure the next generation semiconductor technology is developed and produced in the US.
Create tens of thousands of good-paying manufacturing jobs and more than hundred thousand construction jobs. This effort will ensure the pipeline for these jobs expands to include people who have historically not had a chance to participate in this industry, including women, people of color, veterans and people who live in rural areas.

Calling for Nominations for DOE’s Industrial Technology Innovation Advisory Committee

amnpo@nist.gov — Thu, 28 Jul 2022 12:00:00 +0000

U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm is currently requesting nominations for the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Industrial Technology Innovation Advisory Committee. The new federal advisory committee will be charged with identifying and evaluating technologies to reduce industrial emissions while improving the competitiveness of American industry. Nominations for the committee are due by August 1, 2022.

The advisory committee will enhance DOE’s industrial decarbonization research, development, demonstration, and deployment activities, inform future investment opportunities and technical assistance programs, and help move decarbonization technologies out of the lab and into the marketplace.

The committee will represent a diverse cross-section of American industry, including, but not limited to, public and private entities, non-profit organizations, federal laboratories, labor groups, small- and large-scale industry, academia, independent researchers, local community organizers, and other federal agencies. In developing recommendations, the committee will solicit a wide range of perspectives to ensure that DOE’s industrial decarbonization strategies will directly and equitably benefit the industrial workforce and surrounding communities, including those that have been historically disadvantaged.

NIST Awards Funding to Strengthen Advanced Manufacturing for Critical and Emerging Technologies

amnpo@nist.gov — Thu, 12 May 2022 12:00:00 +0000

The U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has awarded a total of $2.08 million to seven organizations in six states to develop manufacturing technology roadmaps to strengthen U.S. innovation and productivity across entire industry sectors. This is the second round of grants awarded to universities, industry and nonprofit organizations through NIST’s Advanced Manufacturing Technology Roadmap Program (MfgTech).

NIST funding will support research on identifying manufacturing challenges and technology barriers in semiconductor production.
Credit: Mike_shots/Shutterstock

Each award of up to $300,000 will fund projects for up to 18 months to address national priorities such as manufacturing of critical infrastructure, communication, and transformative approaches and technologies in construction. NIST plans to make additional awards under different categories.

“This new round of awards enables strategic partnerships across the country that will identify and document ways to accelerate the adoption of critical manufacturing technologies in the U.S.,” said Mike Molnar, director of the NIST Office of Advanced Manufacturing. “The roadmaps are in key areas for the manufacturing industry and the nation, including infrastructure, quantum, artificial intelligence and machine learning, 5G, sustainability, and even manufacturing in space.”

FACT SHEET: Biden Administration Celebrates Launch of AM Forward and Calls on Congress to Pass Bipartisan Innovation Act

amnpo@nist.gov — Fri, 06 May 2022 12:00:00 +0000

President Biden’s top economic priority is to fight inflation by lowering costs that working families face, and lowering the federal deficit.

One of the best ways to lower the cost of the goods and services that families rely on is to make more things in America, with more secure, resilient supply chains. We’ve learned this the hard way during this crisis – when brittle supply chains and hollowed out manufacturing resulted in backlogs, bottlenecks and higher prices for families.

President Biden’s plan to fight inflation addresses this problem head on. Thanks to the President’s leadership, we are in the midst of an American manufacturing boom with over $200 billion of investments in new manufacturing facilities and record-setting job creation. The Biden Administration has spurred unprecedented job growth and the fastest economic recovery in nearly four decades. Since taking office, President Biden’s actions have resulted in the creation of 7.9 million jobs, including 473,000 in manufacturing – more jobs in the first 14 months of any President’s term ever.

Companies are investing in America again, bringing good-paying manufacturing jobs back home. Whether it’s semiconductors, advanced batteries, or other leading sectors, companies are opening new facilities and announcing commitments to produce the world’s most cutting-edge technologies in the United States.

To support AM Forward, the Biden Administration has identified a range of federal programs that U.S. SME manufacturers can use to support their adoption of additive capabilities and increase their competitiveness. The Administration’s actions are focused on helping to overcome common challenges that have slowed the deployment of AM technologies, particularly among smaller manufacturers.

They include:

Providing access to capital to our SME manufacturers: Providing affordable financing to small manufacturers will support the installation of additive equipment by reducing its cost. To address this issue, the U.S. Department of Agriculture will make its Business and Industry program available to rural manufacturers to support the purchase of new additive machines, and the training necessary to upskill their workforce. The Export-Import Bank will highlight its new domestic lending program that can help SME manufacturers upgrade their existing production equipment. And the Small Business Administration will work with the participants of AM Forward on how its 504 Loan Program and Small Business Investment Company (SBIC) program can support the widespread deployment of new additive capabilities across U.S. industry.

Delivering technical assistance from the federal government and OEMs to our SME manufacturers: SME manufacturers have noted the need for technical assistance to utilize new production technologies like 3D printers to their fullest extent. To support AM Forward, the Department of Energy will make its Manufacturing Demonstration Facility at Oak Ridge National Laboratory available to SME manufacturers to test new additive techniques. The Manufacturing Extension Partnership will provide enhanced technical assistance; and the Department of Defense (DOD) will use its Mentor Protégé Program to reimburse the cost to the large OEM participants in AM Forward for providing technical assistance to their smaller U.S.-based suppliers owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals. DOD’s Manufacturing Technology Program Office will work with America Makes, a DOD-sponsored Manufacturing Innovation Institute, and AM Forward members on a pilot standardization project.

Investing in the additive manufacturing workforce: To fully benefit from the use of additive capabilities, SME manufacturers must train their workforce differently to successfully deploy additive capabilities, including upskilling workers. America Makes will thus develop curriculum for workforce training with AM Forward participants; and, along with the U.S. Department of Labor, will assist manufacturers in launching apprenticeship programs in additive manufacturing.

Setting industry standards: Finally, since 3D printing requires different standards and process certifications, the U.S. Department of Commerce – through the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) – will conduct measurement science research to overcome key barriers to widespread use of metals-based additive manufacturing, develop the technical basis for new high-priority standards, and disseminate these results to AM Forward participants through leadership of standards development within ASTM International, International Organization for Standardization (ISO), American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), and other standards bodies.

NIST Awards Funding to Strengthen Advanced Manufacturing for Microelectronics, Digital and Biomanufacturing

amnpo@nist.gov — Fri, 01 Apr 2022 12:00:00 +0000

The U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has awarded a total of $1.2 million to four organizations to develop technology roadmaps aimed at strengthening U.S. manufacturing and innovation across industries. The projects span a wide variety of industries and technologies, from microelectronics to biomanufacturing to building a resilient U.S. manufacturing supply chain.

The grants, awarded to universities, a nonprofit and a consortium, are the first conferred by NIST's Advanced Manufacturing Technology Roadmap Program (MfgTech). The individual awards of up to $300,000 will fund projects for a period of up to 18 months to address national priorities for microelectronics competitiveness and vaccine manufacturing capabilities. NIST plans to make additional awards under different categories.

“The MfgTech awards build collaborative partnerships to set strategic technology objectives and develop a shared vision of how an industry can achieve transformational goals,” said NIST Office of Advanced Manufacturing Director Mike Molnar. “These grants will enable essential first steps toward building the research infrastructure necessary to sustain a healthy, innovative advanced manufacturing sector — one that invents, demonstrates, prototypes and produces, here in the United States.”

Commerce Department Awards $54 Million in American Rescue Act Grants to Increase Access to Advanced Manufacturing Opportunities

amnpo@nist.gov — Mon, 28 Feb 2022 12:00:00 +0000

The U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has awarded nearly $54 million in grants for 13 high-impact projects for research, development and testbeds for pandemic response. The funding, which was provided by the American Rescue Act, will support projects at eight manufacturing innovation institutes in the Manufacturing USA^® network, working with more 80 partners including leading research universities, nonprofits, and small and large manufacturers.

“Rebuilding our manufacturing economy is an essential component to strengthening our communities and creating opportunity for all Americans,” said Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo. “The breadth and variety of these awards shows that manufacturing can be an economic driver in every community. From creating an advanced manufacturing testbed in Appalachia, to building clean, reliable power in Native American communities, these grants are essential to creating manufacturing jobs and skills in every corner of America.”

Each institute in the Manufacturing USA^® network is a public-private partnership focused on an advanced manufacturing specialty such as additive manufacturing, advanced chip manufacturing or robotics. The institutes collaborate with academic and private sector manufacturing organizations on applied research and development projects and advanced manufacturing skills training.

A Proclamation on National Manufacturing Day, 2021

amnpo@nist.gov — Fri, 01 Oct 2021 12:00:00 +0000

On National Manufacturing Day, we celebrate all that is made in America and recognize the importance of our Nation’s manufacturers to every aspect of our lives. From the electronics we rely on, to the safely packaged foods we eat, to the clothing we wear, to the appliances and furniture in our homes, to the cars we drive — American manufacturing is essential to our economy. It employs over 12 million Americans directly and many more indirectly — providing high quality jobs to communities across the country and producing the highest quality goods in the world.

In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, our manufacturing sector was upended — 578,000 manufacturing jobs were lost in 2020. Supply chain disruptions left our Nation short of lifesaving protective equipment, ventilators, and other essential health equipment at a time when we needed it most. However, our Nation’s manufacturers and manufacturing workers stepped up — refitting their operations to produce needed materials and working long hours to make sure our Nation had what we needed.

The pandemic brought into even sharper focus the fragility of many of our global supply chains, which were already subject to everything from accidents and extreme weather to other countries engaging in unfair trade practices. In the name of our national and economic security and in support of American-based companies, American manufacturing, and American jobs — especially union jobs — I have committed our Nation to building our own resilient supply chains. That is why, during my first days in office, I signed an Executive Order to support manufacturing, rebuild our industrial base, and strengthen our supply chains — all while creating good-paying, union jobs. My order, ensuring that our future is made in all of America by American workers, also strengthens domestic manufacturing by directing Federal agencies to buy more American-made products.

My Administration has also called for historic investments in making our supply chains more resilient as well as investments in new and cleaner manufacturing technologies that will help us innovate and lead in manufacturing in the 21st century. The clean energy economy presents an enormous opportunity to revitalize American manufacturing, maintaining and creating good-paying, union jobs, while cleaning up the air and water in communities across the country. That’s why my Administration is calling for investments to ensure that as we build everything from wind turbines to electric vehicles and that they are made in the United States with clean, American-made materials. The Federal Government is a major buyer in markets for goods and services. One of the most effective ways to support and grow American companies, put more Americans to work, and to strengthen American manufacturing is to buy American. My Administration is making the biggest enforcement change to the Buy American Act in 70 years, raising the amount of domestic content required to be considered “Made in America” from 55 percent to 75 percent.

My Administration has also invested in our Nation’s communities and the manufacturing base that builds them. Through programs like the Manufacturing Extension Partnership, Manufacturing USA, and opportunities sponsored by the Economic Development Administration of the Department of Commerce, we are providing resources to support and strengthen STEM education, infrastructure, technology hubs, and economic opportunities for all people in every region of our country.

Secretary Raimondo Announces $153 Million to Promote Innovation in Biopharmaceutical Manufacturing

amnpo@nist.gov — Wed, 14 Jul 2021 12:00:00 +0000

The U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has made two awards totaling $153 million to the National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals (NIIMBL). The awards were announced today by U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo at the NIIMBL annual meeting in Washington, D.C.

NIIMBL is a public-private partnership designed to accelerate innovation in the U.S. biopharmaceutical industry, which produces vaccines, monoclonal antibodies, gene therapies and other medical products derived from biological sources. NIIMBL is a Manufacturing USA® institute sponsored by the Department of Commerce.

“I am so pleased that NIIMBL will continue to bring together organizations of all types to help strengthen our nation through better pandemic preparedness and a more agile manufacturing industry,” said Secretary Raimondo, who was joined at the NIIMBL meeting by Senator Chris Coons of Delaware, Acting Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration Janet Woodcock and Director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research Peter Marks. “This important investment for America, funded in part by President Biden’s American Rescue Plan, will help meet the nation’s need for lifesaving biopharmaceuticals.”

NIST Launches New Manufacturing USA Technology Roadmap Grant Competition

amnpo@nist.gov — Wed, 23 Jun 2021 12:00:00 +0000

Today, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) announced a new competition for awards to support industry-driven consortia in developing technology roadmaps that will address high-priority research challenges to grow the advanced manufacturing sector in the U.S.

NIST’s Manufacturing USA Technology Roadmaps (MfgTech) program anticipates awarding up to eight awards with a period of performance of up to 18 months each, with individual awards of up to $300,000 and no cost-share requirement. The competition is open to all nonfederal U.S. entities, including accredited institutions of higher education; nonprofit organizations; for-profit organizations incorporated in the U.S. (including U.S. territories); and state, local, territorial and tribal governments.

Technology roadmaps are proven, strategic tools to identify barriers and related development steps to achieve grand challenges. Prior roadmap activities have been instrumental in establishing productive consortia and initiatives, including foundational planning for future Manufacturing USA institutes. Benefits of technology roadmaps include:

Addressing major technological barriers that inhibit the growth of advanced manufacturing in the U.S. that no single organization could tackle on its own;
Identifying and prioritizing research projects supporting long-term industrial research needs including but not limited to those identified in the Strategy for American Leadership in Advanced Manufacturing;
Creating new or updating broadly available industry-driven, shared-vision technology roadmaps to support strategic and long-range planning; and
Catalyzing development and supporting the maintenance of a technology infrastructure and American excellence in advanced manufacturing, including identifying technology areas appropriate for potential new Manufacturing USA institutes.

DOE Announces $14.5 Million to Combat Plastics Waste and Pollution

amnpo@nist.gov — Wed, 26 May 2021 12:00:00 +0000

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced an investment of up to $14.5 million for research and development to cut waste and reduce the energy used to recycle single-use plastics like plastic bags, wraps, and films. This funding directed toward plastics recycling technologies advances the DOE’s work to address the challenges of plastic waste recycling and support the Biden Administration’s efforts to build a clean energy economy and ensure the U.S. reaches net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

“For years, single-use plastics have had a detrimental impact on the environment—clogging landfills and polluting our neighborhoods, parks, and beaches,” said Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. “Innovation in plastics recycling technology is a triple win by cutting plastic waste we see in our everyday lives, reducing industrial energy use and resulting emissions, and creating clean manufacturing jobs for American workers.”

Single-use plastics are the largest subset of plastics found in landfills and among the most challenging to recycle. Plastic production accounts for more than 3% of total U.S. energy consumption and uses roughly the same amount of oil around the world as the aviation industry. Yet, less than 10% of plastics are currently recycled, most of which are “downcycled,” or repurposed into low-value products.

The Future of How Things Are Made

amnpo@nist.gov — Fri, 02 Oct 2020 12:00:00 +0000

Large masses of plastic refuse and other marine debris, drawn together by waves and wind, currently float across the north Pacific Ocean between California and Hawaii. Popularly known as the "Great Pacific Garbage Patch," the seafaring pile of trash stands as testament to society’s overreliance on petroleum-based plastics and other materials developed to deliver single-use products quickly and cheaply.

The costs, however, have been immense.

Viable new alternatives to petroleum-based plastics are possible, but they require new materials and new approaches to production and manufacturing.

Recently, the U.S. National Science Foundation asked researchers to reimagine the future of how things are made, laying the groundwork for manufacturing that is sustainable; takes full advantage of artificial intelligence; incorporates advancements in fields such as bioengineering and materials science; and has at its heart, a trained, diverse workforce that can direct fresh ideas and perspectives to address research and production challenges as they arise.

Manufacturing Day 2020: Staying Safer in 2020

amnpo@nist.gov — Fri, 02 Oct 2020 12:00:00 +0000

Manufacturing is the fourth largest industrial sector in the United States, currently employing about 15.6 million Americans, representing aabout 11% of the gross domestic product. The White House has declared manufacturing to be a national priority. Manufacturing workers experience a higher percentage of nonfatal injuries and illnesses per capita than the US workforce as a whole. In 2017, the number of nonfatal injuries and illnesses within manufacturing was 4.26 million (12.5%).

Manufacturing workplaces are evolving as quickly as technology changes, and employers and workers must adjust to maintain safe workplaces. Advanced manufacturing technologies, such as additive manufacturing and robotics, are changing the nature of work and are at the forefront of innovation and technical development. Many of these technologies have dedicated advanced manufacturing institutes, such as America Makes and Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing. These institutes represent a combined investment of both public and private sectors to push the envelope of technical capability and improve the position of American manufacturing.

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health’s (NIOSH’s) Advanced Manufacturing Initiative and the highlighting of related technologies within the Future of Work Initiative represents the Institute’s own commitment to keeping safety apace with the rate of innovation within these fields. For additive manufacturing facilities, NIOSH developed workplace resources to provide information to handle metal powders and thermoplastic filaments safely. The NIOSH Center for Occupational Robotics Research investigates the far-reaching implications for safety and health, from ergonomics of exoskeletons to behaviors of autonomous systems. NIOSH has also partnered with America Makes and Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing to ensure responsible development of these technologies.

NSF Announces Investment in Future of Manufacturing

amnpo@nist.gov — Fri, 02 Oct 2020 12:00:00 +0000

Continued U.S. leadership in advanced manufacturing requires new technologies, processes, and skills, especially in the emerging fields of biomanufacturing, cyber-manufacturing and eco-manufacturing. To address that need, the U.S. National Science Foundation is announcing investments in 24 new projects to drive future manufacturing.

The award of more than $40 million in the form of seed grants, research grants and network grants will support research and education at 44 unique institutions in 18 states and the District of Columbia, including four jurisdictions eligible for the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research.

"Our investment provides industry with manufacturing tools that currently live only in the laboratory, or the imagination," said NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan. "Through the convergence of such fields as robotics, artificial intelligence, biotechnology and materials research, future manufacturing will create revolutionary products with unprecedented capabilities, produced sustainably in facilities across the country by a diverse, newly trained workforce."

U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Manufacturing Office Celebrate MFG Day 2020

amnpo@nist.gov — Wed, 30 Sep 2020 12:00:00 +0000

Manufacturing Day (MFG Day)—organized nationally by The Manufacturing Institute—is manufacturing’s biggest annual opportunity to inspire the next generation about the industry and careers in modern manufacturing—and to say: “Creators Wanted.” MFG DAY was created to correct public perception and addresses many misperceptions by giving manufacturers an opportunity to open their doors and show, in a coordinated effort, what manufacturing really is today. Launched annually on the first Friday in October, MFG Day empowers manufacturers to come together to address their collective challenges so they can help their communities and future generations thrive.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Manufacturing Office, and our industry partners, will celebrate the day with various in-person and virtual events. Check back to find a full list of activities. Also join the conversation or follow us on our Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn pages.

Helping Apprentices and Other Workers Gain In-Demand Skills

amnpo@nist.gov — Fri, 17 Apr 2020 12:00:00 +0000

Businesses, higher education, and workforce development organizations can use the updated model when developing curriculum, identifying workforce skill gaps, and detecting competencies required for credentials. The refreshed model helps ensure that workers learn skills that employers need.

The new model – developed in collaboration with SEMI (an industry association representing the electronics manufacturing supply chain) – includes:

Manufacturing process design and

development
Operations management
Maintenance, installation and repair
Supply chain production logistics
Quality assurance and continuous improvement
Equipment, practices, and procedures which promote a healthy and safe work environment

SEMI has launched pilot programs in New York, North Carolina, and Oregon where work teams and subject-matter experts are using the model content to track the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to meet the production goals of companies. This information will then be shared with community colleges to help them adapt their curriculum to industry needs.

Increasing U.S. Manufacturing Innovation

amnpo@nist.gov — Fri, 28 Feb 2020 12:00:00 +0000

Manufacturing USA® institutes are designed to build innovation ecosystems and accelerate technology development and workforce development in critical technology areas. A new law reinforces the institutes’ importance to our national security and economic competitiveness and encourages creation of new advanced manufacturing institutes. The potential expansion of the initiative is intended to boost U.S. global competitiveness in key sectors.

Expanded Impact

The law encourages existing, third-party entities which do not have federal sponsorship to apply for recognition and join the Manufacturing USA network as potential ‘alliance institutes.’ After recognition such entities would still not be federally sponsored, but they would be eligible to apply for any available public service grants.

This is seen as a competitive advantage, as international competition has increased and our model in the U.S. is being replicated overseas.

Benefits to potential alliance members and existing institutes include: affiliation with the Manufacturing USA brand, signaling participation in an important national initiative; exchange ideas and best practices; fill advanced manufacturing gaps in the U.S. needs; scale-up talent efforts; reach and serve more small and medium-sized manufacturers across the nation; expand technology coverage; leverage “whole of economy” resources; increase innovation collaboration; and access shared services.

Public Input Will Shape Future Directions

The Advanced Manufacturing National Program Office, which coordinates with other federal agencies on Manufacturing USA, is seeking public input. In particular, the office requests feedback on risks, the proposed application process for alliance members, and responses to questions including: eligibility and evaluation criteria, funding opportunities for alliance members, and requirements for the alliance members.

Please see the RFI for additional details and submit your input here. In addition, please consider attending an upcoming webinar. Stakeholder roundtable sessions will also be held across the country through June.

Department of Energy Announces New American-Made Challenge Prize

amnpo@nist.gov — Wed, 29 Jan 2020 12:00:00 +0000

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced $3.25 million for the American-Made Geothermal Manufacturing Prize (Geothermal Prize). A first of its kind for geothermal technology, this prize is designed to spur innovation and address manufacturing challenges fundamental to operating in harsh geothermal environments. This prize further supports the ability of the geothermal industry to reach the target of 60 Gigawatts electric of geothermal capacity by 2050 as outlined in the recently released GeoVision study.

“Additive manufacturing is such a promising technology for so many industries, and this prize will help ensure that our American geothermal industry continues to lead the world in innovation,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Dan Brouillette. “By creating incentives for new approaches to device design, this prize will help unlock the full potential of geothermal power as a clean, reliable, affordable energy source for American homes and businesses.”

Department of Energy Announces New Solicitation for the High Performance Computing for Energy Innovation Initiative

amnpo@nist.gov — Fri, 05 Apr 2019 12:00:00 +0000

The US Department of Energy (DOE) has announced nearly $5.2 million for a new solicitation under the High Performance Computing for Energy Innovation (HPC4EI) Initiative, the umbrella program for the HPC4Manufacturing (HPC4Mfg), HPC4Materials (HPC4Mtls), and HPC4Mobility programs. The new funding opportunity seeks qualified industry partners to work collaboratively with DOE’s national laboratories on projects that use High Performance Computing (HPC) to solve key technical challenges. These technical challenges include development and optimization of modeling and simulation codes, porting and scaling of applications, application of data analytics, and applied research and development of tools or methods.

There will be three areas of focus.

Area 1: HPC4Mtls

The HPC4Mtls program seeks proposals that will address key challenges in developing, modifying, and/or qualifying new or modified materials that perform well in severe and complex energy application environments through the use of HPC modeling, simulation, and data analysis.

Area 2: HPC4Mfg

The HPC4Mfg Program seeks projects that will use HPC modeling and simulation to overcome manufacturing process challenges resulting in reduced energy consumption and/or increased productivity.

Area 3: HPC4Mobility

The HPC4Mobility Program is interested in collaborations that address key mobility challenges in developing, modifying, and/or qualifying new or modified software, hardware, and implementation solutions that perform well in complex transportation/mobility systems in rural and metropolitan areas.

Energy Department Selects Four Projects for High Performance Computing for Manufacturing in Steel and Aluminum Production

amnpo@nist.gov — Wed, 13 Mar 2019 12:00:00 +0000

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), in partnership with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), announced nearly $1.2 million for four new projects to support American steel and aluminum manufacturers in improving energy efficiency, increasing productivity, and accelerating manufacturing innovation.

The funding announced today will provide advanced computing capabilities to improve manufacturing processes and resolve key manufacturing challenges through the use of High Performance Computing (HPC). These projects were selected from the sixth solicitation for the High Performance Computing for Manufacturing (HPC4Mfg) program.

The HPC4Mfg program, supported by DOE’s Advanced Manufacturing Office, facilitates technical support from national laboratories, including access to supercomputing capabilities, high-end modeling and simulation software, and subject matter experts. From detailed atomic-level simulations to massive cosmological studies, researchers use HPC to solve science and technology challenges inaccessible by other experimental methods.

Selected projects will be awarded up to $300,000. Participating companies are required to contribute in-kind funds of at least 20% of DOE’s funding for the project.

The following companies were selected for awards:

Alcoa (New Kensington, Pennsylvania) - This project will use HPC simulations to understand and optimize the performance of Alcoa’s new advanced smelting cell to make aluminum from ore.
AK Steel (Dearborn, Michigan) - This project will use HPC simulations for real time modeling of hot-strip mill rolling to improve process operation.
ArcelorMittal (East Chicago, Indiana) - This project will use modeling and machine learning to enable the production of cleaner, higher-quality continuously cast steel slabs.
US Steel (Mumhall, Pennsylvania) - This project will use physics-based modeling to improve predictions of the behavior of steel during hot-strip mill rolling for better quality.

The HPC4Mfg program is managed by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, with support from Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and has supported more than 40 projects and provided more than $16 million for these public-private partnerships. Additionally, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Argonne National Laboratory provide computing cycles to support this program.

The Advanced Manufacturing Office (AMO) supports early-stage research to advance innovation in U.S. manufacturing and promote American economic growth and energy security.

Commerce’s NIST Announces Actions to Stimulate Commercialization of Federally Funded R&D

amnpo@nist.gov — Thu, 13 Dec 2018 12:00:00 +0000

The United States spends more than any other nation on research and development (R&D) each year, investing over $150 billion in federally funded R&D alone. In line with President Donald J. Trump’s Management Agenda, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) today released a draft green paper detailing steps to modernize the U.S. system of technology transfer and innovation for the 21st century. The actions outlined in the green paper would help maximize returns on the taxpayer investment in R&D.

“Countless innovations crucial to our everyday lives, including life-saving vaccines, the Internet and GPS, can trace their roots to federal laboratories and federally funded R&D,” said Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross. “The steps outlined in this new report are strong proposals to pave the way for the competition-driven technological advances that are the cornerstone of American success.”

Strategy for American Leadership in Advanced Manufacturing

amnpo@nist.gov — Fri, 05 Oct 2018 12:00:00 +0000

Today, the White House released the quadrennial Strategy for American Leadership in Advanced Manufacturing, which describes how Federal agencies, state and local government, the full spectrum of educational institutions, large and small private industry, large and small investors and, most importantly, our citizenry can achieve a national vision of U.S. Global Leadership in Advanced Manufacturing Across Industrial Sectors to Ensure National Security and Economic Prosperity.

To achieve this vision, the strategy proposes three goals:

1) Develop and Transition New Manufacturing Technologies

2) Educate, Train, and Connect the Manufacturing Workforce

3) Expand the Capabilities of the Domestic Manufacturing Supply Chain

The strategy focuses on the development of new technology and the training of the future workforce. It describes the administration’s strong emphasis on economic development and national security.

The strategic plan was developed by the National Science and Technology Council, Subcommittee on Advanced Manufacturing, which was co-chaired by the U.S. Department of Commerce/NIST and staffed by NIST, with representatives from 17 different Federal agencies and offices with interests in advanced manufacturing technologies, international trade, and workforce development. The team conducted extensive outreach via a White House Request for Information along with 11 roundtables across the nation, gaining significant input from industry, manufacturing associations, technical associations, and the public.

Reusable Abstractions of Manufacturing Processes (RAMP) Competition

amnpo@nist.gov — Thu, 22 Mar 2018 12:00:00 +0000

Manufacturing accounts for over half of the environmental impact and one-fifth of the annual energy consumption in the U.S. Reducing that energy drain is the goal of ASTM’s E3012-16 international standard. If you can put E3012-16 to work to reduce manufacturing’s footprint, you could be a big winner.

The 2018 RAMP Challenge is open through April 20. We’re seeking process models that best demonstrate how application of ASTM E3012-16 can lead to a more robust, optimized, and energy-efficient manufacturing process. Prizes range from $1,000 to $200.

Full competition rules, prizes, entry information, and a “how to” video are available at https://www.challenge.gov/challenge/ramp-reusable-abstractions-of-manufacturing-processes/.

OCTAE Invites You to "Keeping Your Partners Engaged"

amnpo@nist.gov — Wed, 14 Mar 2018 12:00:00 +0000

Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education (OCTAE) invites you to join our last peer-to-peer conversation on Monday, March 19 at 12:15 p.m. ET, click here to hold your space. The topic is “Keeping Your Partners Engaged”. Panelists will share how mature partnerships can re-energize their networks and how newer partnerships can sustain high-level engagement over time. Please join us for this dynamic exchange!

This series is intended to foster conversations between peers with shared challenges in partnership development. To extend the conversation further, please join the LINCS online discussion group by clicking here. We are most interested in your ideas, questions, and helpful resources. In order to post, you will first create an account. If you have problems with LINCS see the LINCS Help Center.

Build4Scale: Announcing American Inventions Made (AIM) Onshore Competition

amnpo@nist.gov — Wed, 14 Feb 2018 12:00:00 +0000

American scientists and engineers invent transformative energy technologies every day, but these innovators often do not have manufacturing expertise – or know where to find it. The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) American Inventions Made Onshore (AIM Onshore) prize competition is seeking creative, specific, and innovative proposals from intermediary organizations – accelerators, incubators, universities, colleges, manufacturing institutions, and others – to deliver DOE’s Build4Scale manufacturing fundamentals training to energy technology innovators, and help them forge partnerships with domestic manufacturers. Successful proposals must include a sustainable revenue model to ensure the initiative is viable past the point of government funding. Prizes up to $150,000 will be awarded to four organizations. Applications are due by April 3, 2018.

Input Solicited for National Strategic Plan for Advanced Manufacturing

amnpo@nist.gov — Mon, 05 Feb 2018 12:00:00 +0000

The National Science and Technology Council, Subcommittee on Advanced Manufacturing (NSTC SAM) is in the process of developing a National Strategic Plan for Advanced Manufacturing to improve Government coordination and provide long-term guidance for Federal programs and activities in support of United States manufacturing competitiveness, including advanced manufacturing research and development over the next five to ten years.

Input is requested from the public, including stakeholders from industry, academia, and non-profits active in advanced manufacturing, that may be used as input into developing the National Strategic Plan for Advanced Manufacturing.

For more information, please see the Request for Information (RFI), published February 5, 2018.

An input form is available to facilitate input, at: https://www.nist.gov/oam/rfi-response

Manufacturing USA Releases its 2016 Annual Report

amnpo@nist.gov — Mon, 27 Nov 2017 12:00:00 +0000

Manufacturing USA today released its 2016 Annual Report to Congress. The report describes the program’s work in helping to move discoveries in the nation’s universities and research laboratories to the shop floor here in America. It highlights the nine Manufacturing USA institutes that were active in fiscal year 2016, and documents the network's progress toward increasing the competitiveness of U.S. manufacturing.

The Manufacturing USA network is a public-private program designed with a vision of U.S. global leadership in advanced manufacturing. Its institutes have a mission to develop game-changing technology and the skills needed to equip our future U.S. manufacturing workforce. Institutes also provide education and training so that American workers have “improved job opportunities and increased economic opportunity in promising technology areas that result in higher wages.”

HPC4Mfg Spring 2017 Solicitation is Now Open

amnpo@nist.gov — Mon, 19 Jun 2017 12:00:00 +0000

The High Performance Computing for Manufacturing (HPC4Mfg) Program, designed to spur the use of national lab supercomputing resources and expertise to advance innovation in energy-efficient manufacturing, is seeking concept papers for a fourth solicitation. Concept proposals from U.S. manufacturers interested in utilizing the national labs’ capabilities can be submitted to the HPC4Mfg program starting June 12, 2017. A total of $3 million is available to support a portfolio of projects with national impact on energy efficiency.

Further details are posted at: https://www.llnl.gov/news/does-hpc-manufacturing-program-seeks-industry-proposals-advance-energy-tech.

For information regarding the solicitation process, please visit the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory HPC4Mfg solicitation page.

NASA Seeks 'FabLab' Concepts for In-Space Manufacturing

amnpo@nist.gov — Wed, 03 May 2017 12:00:00 +0000

NASA is seeking proposals for development of a first-generation, in-space, multi-material fabrication laboratory, or FabLab, for space missions. The FabLab solicitation is issued as Appendix B of the Next Space Technologies for Exploration Partnerships (NextSTEP-2) Broad Agency Announcement.

The FabLab development path will be implemented in three phases with the objective of the final phase to demonstrate a commercially developed FabLab on the International Space Station. This solicitation seeks responses only to Phase A, in which private industry partners will produce ground-based prototypes with a measurable ability to mature into flight demonstrations on the space station within three years.

Solicitation: In-Space Manufacturing (ISM) Multi-material Fabrication Laboratory (FabLab)

Announcing ManufacturingUSA.com, the new website for Manufacturing USA

amnpo@nist.gov — Fri, 07 Oct 2016 12:00:00 +0000

The Advanced Manufacturing National Program Office is pleased to announce the launch of a new industry-facing website, ManufacturingUSA.com. In September, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker announced Manufacturing USA, the new public name for the National Network for Manufacturing Innovation. ManufacturingUSA.com will serve as a key resource—a destination for learning about technology innovations, upcoming events, and industry news coming from the Manufacturing USA institutes.

The site provides a platform to:

Highlight the impact that the institutes and the Manufacturing USA partners are making on U.S. manufacturing.
Inform potential new members about how to participate and engage in the program.
Highlight the unique offerings of each institute.
Continue to educate the manufacturing industry on the opportunities available through Manufacturing USA.

The updated website provides examples of how the Manufacturing USA institutes are working to move promising, early-stage research in their specific technology areas into proven capabilities ready for adoption by U.S. manufacturers.

The website you see today is just the foundation. Over the coming months, we will continue to improve it, updating and enhancing the information provided about the exciting technology and advanced manufacturing development opportunities available through the program and through the Manufacturing USA institutes. We look forward to bringing you the stories of how the institutes and partners are making a difference.

We invite you to explore the new site, and encourage you to check back regularly to see the progress and advances we are making on the future of advanced manufacturing in the United States.

To provide us with feedback about the website, or to learn more about Manufacturing USA, please contact ManufacturingUSA@nist.gov.

FACT SHEET: New Progress in a Resurgent American Manufacturing Sector

amnpo@nist.gov — Thu, 06 Oct 2016 12:00:00 +0000

“Each year, hundreds of thousands of people observe this day by attending open houses, public tours, and career workshops. As we mark 5 years since the first Manufacturing Day, we must inspire the next generation of workers and innovators to seek careers in manufacturing. Let us continue working to strengthen and expand the manufacturing jobs of tomorrow and ensure that opportunity for all is something we can keep making in America for generations to come.” - President Obama, October 6, 2016

U.S. manufacturing is making a comeback, with more than 800,000 new jobs added since the sector turned the corner after the Great Recession in 2010. For the last four years in a row, global CEOs have named the United States the best place to make and invest, and new capital investment is flowing in to a broad range of manufacturing technologies.