USA: DoD plans longer-term strategy for Manufacturing USA institutes

Submitted by Caroline Guillet on 02 May 2019

Manufacturing USA is a public-private network of 14 manufacturing institutes. Its role is to connect people, ideas, and technologies, but also stakeholders from industry, academia, and the US government to solve industry-relevant advanced manufacturing challenges & to secure U.S. global prominence in advanced manufacturing.

The US Department of Defense (DoD) invested in Manufacturing USA institutes to establish a robust and sustainable technology ecosystem. Since 2012, DoD has invested more than $600 million in its Manufacturing USA institutes. This investment notably covered the cost of a massive start-up ecosystem as well as the cost functioning of the first seven years of the Programme.

This ongoing seventh year is the occasion for DoD to evaluate how its institutes are achieving their goals and their development opportunities, notably regarding long-term funding options. Therefore, on behalf of DoD and The National Institute of Standards and Technology, The National Academies of Sciences’ National Materials and Manufacturing Board issued a report assessing a global framework of Manufacturing USA institutes regarding:

  • Their business models
  • Lessons drawn out of the public-private partnerships experiences
  • The potential costs and interests for Dod in establishing different types of engagement strategies
  • The report states that the sustainability of Manufacturing USA institutes depends on their ability to offer value across a wide range of stakeholders, and it makes four broad recommendations for the institutes, as well as areas for additional research to enhance this value offer:  
  • The conduct of a formal review of each DoD manufacturing institute based on their achievement in meeting the goals of the agency’s strategic plan.
  • A new hybrid business model based on a combination of a continuation of core support and more sponsored projects
  • The strengthening of cross-institute collaboration, of best practices development and DoD -linked R&D activities, and the increasing of flexibility of acquisition and contracting policies, and of performance metrics’ quality
  • A senior DoD support for institute engagement and communication with the department’s stakeholders.

More information on Manufacturing USA institutes’ activities on the following link.

Source: STTI

Third Country
United States of America
Share this Article