The deadline for submitting concept papers is Sept. 30, 2024. Additional deadlines and other important dates are listed in the notice on Grants.gov.
“AI has enormous potential to make us smarter, faster, and more innovative, but we have to work together to maximize its benefits and mitigate its risks,” says U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. “Through this new AI-focused Manufacturing USA institute, we will help leverage AI to supercharge manufacturing, empower our workforce, and create secure, resilient supply chains.”
Manufacturing USA is a national network of institutes that brings together people, ideas, and technology to solve advanced manufacturing challenges. All Manufacturing USA institutes are public-private partnerships that catalyze stakeholders to work together to accelerate innovation by co-investing in industrially relevant, cross-cutting, advanced manufacturing products and processes.
All applicants are expected to clearly define their intended outcomes and timelines for delivering them. Proposals must address a compelling U.S. industrial need, demonstrate significant industry buy-in, and avoid duplicating the efforts of existing Manufacturing USA institutes and the planned Commerce-sponsored Digital Twins Institute for Semiconductor Manufacturing.
(NIST: Gaithersburg, MD) — The U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has announced an open competition for a new Manufacturing USA institute focused on using artificial intelligence (AI) to increase the resilience of U.S. manufacturers. The notice of funding opportunity was published on Grants.gov.
This competition is open to accredited institutions of higher education; U.S.-based nonprofit and for-profit organizations with majority domestic ownership or control; and state, local, U.S. territorial, and Indian tribal governments.
NIST anticipates funding up to $70 million during a five-year period, subject to the availability of federal funds, for the recipient to establish and operate the new institute. The institute will be required to obtain cost-share funds from nonfederal sources.
“This new Manufacturing USA institute will strengthen the U.S. economy by helping manufacturers make smart use of AI to boost their productivity and increase their resilience in the face of supply chain disruptions and other unexpected events,” says Laurel E. Locascio, Undersecretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology as well as director of NIST. “We look forward to reviewing innovative proposals that will help domestic manufacturers maximize the potential of AI.”
NIST will host an informational webinar and an in-person proposer’s day event focused on this funding opportunity. Dates and locations of these events will be posted on the NIST website.