NIST, Kentucky; Nebraska Awards are announced to manufacturing centers in Rhode Island and South Dakota. | So Good News

GAITHERSBURG, Md. — today The US Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Kentucky; Nebraska Cooperative agreement awards totaling nearly $19.8 million have been announced to four organizations to operate Rhode Island and Rhode Island Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) centers. South Dakota. The MEP centers are supported by four awardees: the University of Louisville Research Foundation; University of Nebraska-Lincoln; It will be operated by the University of Rhode Island Research Foundation and South Dakota’s Lake Area Technical College and will provide services to small and medium businesses. size manufacturers in their state.

“These MEP centers in Kentucky, Nebraska, Rhode Island and South Dakota help manufacturers address challenges and opportunities in areas critical to supply chain, workforce, technology innovation and more,” said Mojdeh Bahar, NIST Associate Director for Innovation and Industry Services. Among other things, Bahar said, “Centers will use a new Job Quality Toolkit based on the Baldrige Excellence Framework to provide guidance on expanding opportunities for high-quality jobs.”

NIST’s Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership program strengthens US manufacturing by supporting 51 centers throughout the 50 states and Puerto Rico. Through this program, More than 1,400 manufacturing experts provide hands-on technical expertise that addresses the critical needs of manufacturers in their states.

The total anticipated funding over five years for each awardee is:

• Kentucky: $6,217,500
• Nebraska: $3,978,500
• Rhode Island: $6,021,500
• South Dakota: $3,561,000

Awardees will sign a cooperative agreement for an initial performance period of five years and must meet a cost-sharing requirement. Winners in Nebraska and Rhode Island have been operating existing MEP centers for nearly 10 consecutive years, while winners in Kentucky and South Dakota are newcomers to the MEP National Network of Centers.

This funding opportunity, announced in January, is open to nonprofit organizations. institutions of higher learning; state American territory local and tribal governments; MEP centers in good standing and has received financial assistance for 10 consecutive years as determined by the US Secretary of Commerce.

MEP Center awards are re-competitive every 10 years, with awards lasting up to 10 years based on the availability of federal funding and the applicant’s good standing.

For every dollar of federal investment in fiscal year 2021; MEP centers in these four states generated over $20 in new sales and over $25 in new customer investments. That translates to $275 million in new and ongoing sales. At the same time, Every $1,143 of federal investment creates or maintains a manufacturing job.