President Obama Announces Plans for NNMI

The Administration’s National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) released a report based on the input of nearly 900 stakeholders that describes an approach for implementing and managing a proposed National Network for Manufacturing Institutes (NNMI), consisting of up to 15 regional manufacturing institutes that would serve as hubs of innovation to boost U.S. competitiveness and strengthen state and local economies. The NNMI was announced by President Obama last March to accelerate development and adoption of cutting-edge manufacturing technologies for making new, globally competitive high-tech products. 

This new report, National Network for Manufacturing Innovation: A Preliminary Design, was developed by the NSTC’s Advanced Manufacturing National Program Office (AMNPO), which is comprised of representatives from federal agencies working to strengthen the U.S. manufacturing sector. It was previewed today at a workshop in Huntsville, Ala., where industry, academic, government and other participants had the opportunity to discuss components of the design. 

Under the framework laid out in the report, Institutes for Manufacturing Innovation (IMIs) will be competitively selected, supported by matching Federal and non-Federal funds and on a track to become self-supporting after 5 to 7 years, and operate in well-defined focus areas that home in on particular cutting-edge manufacturing processes, industry sectors, or technologies.