SAMPE Journal - March/April 2016 - 54

Tobin Talks Washington

Tobin A. McGregor

Government Relations Manager
tobin@sampe.org

Department of Defense Pledges Additional Manufacturing Innovation Institutes in 2016
In late December, the Department of Defense (DoD) announced their intent to establish two additional
Manufacturing Innovation Institutes (MII). The technical focus areas for these institutes will be determined
following input from industry, government, academia, trade associations and other stakeholders. The planned
government investment for each institute is expected to be at least $75M over five years and be matched by
industry and academic partners. A Request for Information (RFI) was issued by DoD on January 7, 2016, seeking
to obtain information and feedback in order to align the technical focus of the institutes with current needs
of industry and the technical community in relation to areas deemed critical to defense and national security.
The DoD RFI identified several of the focus areas currently under consideration, including:
* Bioengineering for Regenerative Medicine
* Bioprinting across Technology Sectors
* Securing the Manufacturing Digital Thread - Cybersecurity for Manufacturing
* Advanced Machine Tools and Control Systems
* Certification, Assessment and Qualification
* Assistive and Soft Robotics
* Open topic (RFI responders may suggest)

The Federal Government has already launched nine Institutes, seven of which have been awarded in the following
areas: additive manufacturing (America Makes), lightweight and modern Metals (LIFT), digital manufacturing
and design (DMDI), power electronics (Power America), integrated photonics (AIM), flexible hybrid electronics
(NextFlex), and advanced composites manufacturing (IACMI). Five of these seven are led by DoD, with the
Department of Energy (DoE) leading the power electronics and advanced composites institutes.

DoD will soon be announcing the award of the competition to establish the eighth MII; the Revolutionary
Fibers and Textiles Manufacturing Innovation Institute (RFT-MII). The newest of the MII's will focus on the
development and commercialization of specialty fibers and textiles as well as innovative processes by which
they may be cost effectively produced. These "technical textiles', according to the RFT-MII initial Request for
Proposals, will have broad applications, "from advancing capabilities of protective gear allowing fire fighters
to battle the hottest flames, to ensuring that a wounded soldier is effectively treated with an antimicrobial
compression bandage and returned safely".

The goal of each of these institutes is to bring together industry, academia, federal agencies, states and regions
to accelerate innovation by investing in industrially-relevant manufacturing technologies with broad applications.
Organizing these resources serves to help bridge the gap between basic research and product development and
provides companies access to cutting-edge capabilities and equipment, education and workforce development
programs, as well as funding to support their utilization.
Information on the DoD RFI may be found on the DoD Manufacturing Technology website, DoDManTech.
com. Detailed information on each of the institutes may be found at the Manufacturing.gov website.
54

SAMPE Journal, Volume 52, No. 2, March/April 2016
http://www.Manufacturing.gov
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of SAMPE Journal - March/April 2016
