Manufacturing Technology Acceleration Center (M-TAC) Pilot Projects

NIST invites proposals from eligible applicants to conduct approximately two (2) pilot projects that will inform future NIST investment leading to the development of a network of Manufacturing Technology Acceleration Centers (M-TACs). The emphasis of these pilots will be to demonstrate the conduct of technology transition and commercialization activities with small and mid-sized U.S. manufacturers to foster their readiness to adopt and/or adapt advanced technologies into their manufacturing processes and products. The pilots will specifically focus on addressing the technical and business challenges encountered by small and mid-sized U.S. manufacturers as they attempt to integrate, adopt, transition, and commercialize both existing and emerging product and process technologies into their operations to help them grow and compete within manufacturing supply chains as innovative, value-adding components of our nation’s economy.These pilots will be operated by existing Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) Centers and are expected to work in collaboration with other existing resources, including research consortia and institutions such as those operating as part of or in conjunction with the National Network for Manufacturing Innovation (NNMI), state and local technology-based economic development intermediaries, industry associations, industry-university partnerships, and manufacturing organizations. The pilots will create and test business models for potential, future operationalized M-TACs that can scale up on a national level to serve the needs of significant numbers of small and mid-sized manufacturers – on the order of thousands on an annual basis. The pilots will also document successes and challenges.