Highlighting Manufacturing Innovation, Collaboration, and Education

This report highlights the manufacturing technology and workforce development innovations underway at the Manufacturing USA institutes which are delivering value for manufacturers and the American public. 

Institutes work with members from the manufacturing industry, academia, government entities and non-profits on pre-competitive applied research and development of critical technologies and the skills needed by the manufacturing workforce.

Manufacturing USA was created to secure U.S. global leadership in advanced manufacturing through large-scale public-private collaboration on technology, supply chain and education and workforce development. The network comprises the U.S. Departments of Commerce, Energy and Defense, 16 manufacturing innovation institutes, and six additional federal agency partners, creating a whole-of-government, national effort to drive innovation in manufacturing.

Highlights include:

• In fiscal year 2021, the institutes:
  • Worked with 2,300 member organizations, 63% are manufacturers and 72% of those are small companies (less than 500 employees)
  • Conducted 708 major research and development projects
  • Engaged more than 90,000 students, workers and teachers in advanced manufacturing workforce development and training
  • Leveraged $127 million in base federal funds to attract $354 million in funds from state, federal and pandemic funds, and private funds
• Strengthening the nation’s manufacturing supply chains
• Building innovation ecosystems to effectively collaborate on applied R&D, moving American discoveries into production
• Empowering the current and next generation workforce through activities with national partners, such as the NIIMBL eXperience to inspire diversity and interest in advanced manufacturing careers and America Makes working with NextFlex launched the Additive Edge project to introduce high school students to additive manufacturing.
• A novel approach to strengthen American economic competitiveness and help ensure that what is invented here is made here by a skilled American workforce.