Programs

Concentrating solar-thermal power (CSP) technologies can be used to generate electricity by converting energy from sunlight to power a turbine, but the same basic technologies can also be used to deliver heat to a variety of industrial applications, like water desalination, enhanced oil recovery, food processing, chemical production, and mineral processing. The U.S. Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office supports CSP research and development projects that work to improve the performance, reduce the cost, and improve the lifetime and reliability of materials, components, subsystems, and integrated solutions for CSP technologies.

The Cybersecurity Manufacturing Innovation Institute (CyManII), a Manufacturing USA Institute, is an inclusive national research institute with major leading research universities in cybersecurity, smart and energy-efficient manufacturing, and deep expertise in research and development, supply chains, factory automation, and workforce development. Funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, CyManII aggregates the most advanced research institutions in revolutionary manufacturing, securing automation and supply chains, workforce development, and cybersecurity. The research team brings to bear the most powerful expertise and infrastructure needed to ensure the digital transformation that will continue to propel the United States in innovative research in manufacturing for decades.

The Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation (IACMI), a Manufacturing USA Institute, is a partnership of industry, academic and governmental organizations joining forces to benefit the nation’s energy and economic security. This is accomplished by bringing low-cost, energy-efficient advanced composites to commercial readiness through the collaborative and innovative work of our members. Researchers at IACMI are working to develop lower-cost, higher-speed, and more efficient manufacturing and recycling processes for advanced composite materials. 

Manufacturing USA was created in 2014 to secure U.S. global leadership in advanced manufacturing by connecting people, ideas, and technology. Manufacturing USA institutes convene business competitors, academic institutions, and other stakeholders to test applications of new technology, create new products, reduce cost and risk, and enable the manufacturing workforce with the skills of the future.

The National Network for Manufacturing Innovation (NNMI) is an interagency initiative made up of public-private partnerships devoted to manufacturing excellence. Under the NNMI, each institute will bring together innovative manufacturers, university engineering schools, community colleges, federal agencies, non-profits, and regional and state organizations to invest in unique, but industrially relevant, manufacturing technologies with broad applications. Federal NNMI partners include the U.S. Departments of Energy, Defense, and Commerce, as well as NASA and the National Science Foundation. 

PowerAmerica, a Manufacturina USA Institute, connects many of the world’s leading wide bandgap semiconductor manufacturers and end-users with experts from research universities and government labs. PowerAmerica is a member-driven consortium of industry, academia, and national labs — managed by North Carolina State University and headquartered on its Centennial Campus — accelerating the commercialization of energy-efficient silicon carbide and gallium nitride power semiconductor chips and electronics.

The Rapid Advancement in Process Intensification Deployment (RAPID) Institute, a Manufacturing USA Institute, focuses on breakthrough technologies to dramatically improve novel manufacturing processes and enable the development of modular processes. RAPID leverages approaches to modular chemical process intensification  — such as combining multiple process steps such as mixing, reaction, and separation into a single more complex and intensified process — with the goal of improving productivity and efficiency, cutting operating costs, and reducing waste.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Solid-State Lighting (SSL) Program fosters U.S. scientific capabilities, leverages private funds, provides internationally trusted information, and drives innovation to create efficient and flexible lighting products that support health, productivity, and well-being. the Solid-State Lighting Program has acted as a catalyst, bringing together researchers, industry, universities, standards organizations, utilities, energy efficiency programs, building owners, lighting designers, and specifiers to drive SSL technology advances. 

Technology-to-market  activities are designed to accelerate innovative research and development  concepts to become commercially viable and available products. These activities then dovetail with market transformation efforts. Both T2M and market transformation efforts work to increase market feedback and improve the effectiveness of the Building Technologies Office’s investments.