Manufacturing USA Institutes

Fourteen different manufacturing innovation institutes comprise Manufacturing USA. These institutes are public-private partnerships that each have distinct technology focus areas but work towards a common goal: to secure America’s future through manufacturing innovation, education, and collaboration.

Manufacturing USA institutes focus on moving promising, early-stage research into proven capabilities ready for adoption by U.S. manufacturers. Their membership includes manufacturers as well as researchers from universities and government laboratories. The institutes provide members with access to state-of-the-art facilities and equipment, as well as workforce training and skills development customized to support new technology areas. Collaboration at the institutes and across the network creates an innovation community ushering in the next generation manufacturing supply chains located in America and employing Americans.

The national Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP)—a network of hundreds of organizations like AM&T and the other MEP centers—is playing a role in moving the institute’s newly developed technologies into the small companies that comprise the bulk of the U.S. manufacturing base.

FOR MORE ON ADVANCED MANUFACTURING AND TECHNOLOGIES, MATERIALS & PROCESSES

Small and mid-sized manufacturers can get involved by:

• Becoming members of an institute. Membership in most institutes is tiered to be more affordable to small companies. Membership tiers provide different levels of access to institute facilities, expertise, and IP; as well as benefits like involvement in institute governance, technical roadmapping, and marketplaces or technical commons.
• Partnering with other companies and universities to bid on R&D “project calls” issued by the institutes.
• Receiving training and toolkits from your local Manufacturing Extension Partnership center when they have been made available. For example, toolkits to help companies adopt digital manufacturing technologies will be available soon.