On Thursday and Friday, August 27 and 28, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker will travel to Youngstown, Ohio; Knoxville, Tenn.; and Chicago, Ill. to tour three institutes that are part of the National Network for Manufacturing Innovation (NNMI).
President Obama created the NNMI to strengthen the global competitiveness of America's manufacturing sector and our workforce. The NNMI currently has six institutes, and three additional institutions under competition, each of which is focused on the development of a different 21st century technology. The institutes bring together the private sector, universities, community colleges, and local government, creating regional networks that can help translate promising discoveries into American-made products and encourage investment and production in the U.S. The activities supported by each institute also provide opportunities for small manufacturers to test their ideas, and for students and workers to learn about cutting-edge technologies.
“The National Network for Manufacturing Innovation (NNMI) institutes help spur advanced technologies critical to keeping America innovative and competitive in the global economy,” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker. “Communities all over the country are clamoring for them because they represent a dynamic tool for spurring U.S. economic growth. The type of collaborative, cutting-edge technologies that the NNMI promotes is essential to creating high-quality jobs and opportunity here at home.” The Department of Commerce is committed to the President’s vision of creating a full national network of up to 45 manufacturing institutes over the next 10 years. Progress towards that vision was made when Congress passed the Reinvest in American Manufacturing and Innovation Act in December of 2014, providing Commerce with the unique authority to establish institutes in technology areas selected solely by industry. In contrast, the nine existing institutes are funded by the Department of Defense and Department of Energy, and must be established in technology areas that relate to their agency missions.
Proposed funding in the President’s FY16 budget would allow the Commerce Department to establish new institutes in areas solely guided by private sector emphasis on the importance of these technologies.
Secretary Pritzker's stops will include: * America Makes in Youngstown, Ohio, focused on helping the United States grow capabilities and strength in 3D printing, also known as additive manufacturing.
* Institute for Advanced Composites in Knoxville, Tennessee, which works to develop lower-cost, higher-speed, and more efficient manufacturing and recycling processes for next-generation materials.
* Digital Manufacturing and Design Innovation Institute in Chicago, Illinois, focused on digital manufacturing and design, which is the ability to connect different parts of the manufacturing life-cycle through data, and to utilize that information to make smarter, more efficient business decisions.
Details for media availability at each stop are forthcoming.
Source: U.S. Department of Commerce
