NIST Reauthorization Proposes Major Manufacturing Investments
NIST Reauthorization Proposes Major Manufacturing Investments
The NIST for the Future Act, also included within the recently passed CHIPS and Science Act, provides a comprehensive five-year reauthorization of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The bill includes up to $10 billion for NIST, including significantly expanded authorizations for NIST to support advanced manufacturing innovation.
The NIST Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) program is authorized for a dramatic expansion of potential funding for NIST-supported MEP Centers that provide worker and entrepreneurship training, improve supply chain resilience, and advance technology services to small- and medium-sized manufacturers. The bill authorizes up to $2.3 billion in funding for the MEP program, a public-private partnership with Centers in all 50 states and Puerto Rico dedicated to serving small- and medium-sized manufacturers. According to NIST, last year MEP Centers interacted with 34,307 manufacturers, leading to $14.4 billion in sales, $1.5 billion in cost savings, and $5.2 billion in new client investments, and the program helped to create or retain 125,746 jobs.
Other significant manufacturing investments within the bill include an $829 million authorization for the NIST-led Manufacturing USA network. The Commerce Department would also be authorized to provide financial assistance for an advanced packaging program, microelectronic research, and for semiconductor-related activities at up to three new Manufacturing USA Institutes.
To read the full text of the NIST for the Future Act, visit: https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/4346/text.
For a detailed summary of manufacturing provisions in the CHIPS and Science Act, visit: https://science.house.gov/report/topic/supporting-american-manufacturing
The NIST Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) program is authorized for a dramatic expansion of potential funding for NIST-supported MEP Centers that provide worker and entrepreneurship training, improve supply chain resilience, and advance technology services to small- and medium-sized manufacturers. The bill authorizes up to $2.3 billion in funding for the MEP program, a public-private partnership with Centers in all 50 states and Puerto Rico dedicated to serving small- and medium-sized manufacturers. According to NIST, last year MEP Centers interacted with 34,307 manufacturers, leading to $14.4 billion in sales, $1.5 billion in cost savings, and $5.2 billion in new client investments, and the program helped to create or retain 125,746 jobs.
Other significant manufacturing investments within the bill include an $829 million authorization for the NIST-led Manufacturing USA network. The Commerce Department would also be authorized to provide financial assistance for an advanced packaging program, microelectronic research, and for semiconductor-related activities at up to three new Manufacturing USA Institutes.
To read the full text of the NIST for the Future Act, visit: https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/4346/text.
For a detailed summary of manufacturing provisions in the CHIPS and Science Act, visit: https://science.house.gov/report/topic/supporting-american-manufacturing
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