Embedding MEP in Manufacturing USA Institutes Pilot Projects – Round 3

NIST invites proposals from current MEP Centers to pilot test approaches to providing needed technology acceleration assistance to small and mid-sized U.S. manufacturers (hereinafter referred to as small U.S. manufacturers) through the establishment of meaningful and results oriented collaborations between the nationwide system of Centers operating as part of the NIST Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) Program (hereinafter referred to as NIST MEP), and the public-private manufacturing innovation Institutes operating as part of Manufacturing USA (previously known as the National Network...

Eligible applicants for this funding opportunity are MEP Centers receiving current cooperative agreement funding from NIST. To receive funding under this NOFO, an applicant MEP Center must form a collaboration, teaming arrangement, or other appropriate relationship with one (1) or more of the five (5) Manufacturing USA Institutes identified below. For purposes of this NOFO, the primary Manufacturing USA Institute is the one in which the MEP Center plans to embed at least one (1.0) MEP Center personnel FTE. The relationship must have been established at the time of application submission and must be documented with a letter(s) of commitment (see Section IV.2.a.(12). of this NOFO) from the Manufacturing USA Institute(s) with which the relationship has been established. These five (5) Manufacturing USA Institutes identified below are not currently hosting embedded MEP Center representatives in residence at their Institute locations as the result of either the 2016-NIST-MEP-ENNMI-01 funding opportunity, or the 2017-NIST-MEP-EMUSA-01 funding opportunity. These five (5) Manufacturing USA Institutes are: Advanced Regenerative Manufacturing Institute (ARMI); Advanced Robotics Manufacturing (ARM) Institute; National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals (NIIMBL); Rapid Advancement in Process Intensification Deployment (RAPID) Institute; Reducing Embodied-energy and Decreasing Emissions (REMADE) Institute. NIST encourages project proposals involving participation from multiple MEP Centers and multiple Manufacturing USA Institutes, as well as other collaborating entities such as local economic development organizations, universities, community colleges, technology incubator programs, and other organizations. An MEP Center may serve as the MEP Center applicant on only one (1) proposal. There are no restrictions on the number of applications in which MEP Centers or Manufacturing USA Institutes can be proposed as collaborators, nor are there restrictions on MEP Centers receiving Round One or Round Two awards serving as applicants or collaborators on projects funded pursuant to this Round Three competition. See Section III.1. of this NOFO for more information regarding funding opportunity eligibility.

Christopher Hunton Management and Program Analyst Phone 301-975-5718