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A pilot program for National Institute of Standards and Technology Manufacturing Extension Partnership program centers will spur development and commercialization of technologies critical to the U.S. industrial base, Jyoti Malhotra, MEP division chief for national programs and platforms, said during a June 24 webinar.
The competitive pilot program will focus on accelerating the use of additive manufacturing for aerospace components and establishing a domestic critical minerals supply chain, she said. NIST has committed to spending about $20 million per pilot project under the program over two years, according to a Federal Register filing.
NIST’s MEP National Network is a public-private partnership that works with manufacturers to “improve production efficiency, develop new products and customers, expand and diversify markets, adopt new technologies, strengthen workforce strategies and enhance value within supply chains,” the Federal Register announcement said. MEP centers cover all 50 U.S. states and Puerto Rico at about 450 service locations.
The goal of the pilot program is to leverage the MEP National Network and other NIST programs and partnerships to advance “transformative technologies” like additive manufacturing, artificial intelligence and automation to improve U.S. manufacturing competitiveness and national security, the announcement said.
