New Deadline on RFI for National Network for Manufacturing Innovation (NNMI)

Posted on September 11, 2014

Last year, President Obama launched a major, new initiative focused on strengthening the innovation, performance, competitiveness, and job-creating power of U.S. manufacturing called the National Network for Manufacturing Innovation (NNMI). Key design elements for the NNMI are captured within National Network for Manufacturing Innovation: A Preliminary Design, a report issued by the White House National Science and Technology Council on January 16, 2013. The NNMI is comprised of Institutes for Manufacturing Innovation (IMIs). The President has proposed up to 45 IMIs around the country. Congress is currently considering bills in both houses similar to the President’s proposal.

A Request for Information (RFI) was published June 2, 2014 on FedBizOps. Responses were originally due October 24, 2014 but that deadline has been moved up to October 10, 2014. The RFI seeks information about the following Technical Focus Areas:

Flexible Hybrid Electronics
Photonics
Engineered Nanomaterials
Fiber and Textiles
Electronic Packaging and Reliability
Aerospace Composites

IMIs will bring together industry, academia (four- and two-year universities, community colleges, technical institutes, etc.), and federal and state agencies to accelerate innovation by investing in industry-relevant manufacturing technologies with broad applications. Each Institute will have a specific technology or market focus and will serve as a regional hub of manufacturing excellence in that focus area, providing the critical infrastructure necessary to create a dynamic, highly collaborative environment spurring manufacturing technology innovations and technology transfer leading to production scale-up and commercialization. When established, each IMI will be a public-private partnership via a Cooperative Agreement and key part of the NNMI network of institutes.

U.S. Department of Education Announces $75 Million First in the World Competition

Posted on May 21, 2014

To spur innovation in higher education aimed at helping more students access and complete a college degree or credential, the U.S. Department of Education announced late last week the availability of $75 million in the First in the World (FITW) program. The grants will fund the development and testing of innovative approaches and strategies at colleges and universities that improve college attainment and make higher education more affordable for students and families.

The FITW competition aims to increase postsecondary access, affordability, and completion for underrepresented, underprepared, or low-income students at institutions across the country. Colleges and universities are invited to submit proposals addressing key priorities around boosting enrollment and attainment for those students, or minimizing gaps between these students and their peers; improving transfer rates between community college and four-year institutions; increasing enrollment and completion rates among underrepresented, underprepared, or low-income students in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) programs; reducing time to completion; and/or increasing college affordability.

FITW is designed to spur a diverse array of innovative ideas and approaches in order to dramatically improve student learning and outcomes. Applications are available now and due by June 30th. All grants will be awarded by September 2014. The Department will post further information, including information about webinars and other technical assistance, on the FIPSE Web page.

DOE Funding Opportunity: Technologies to Produce Renewable Carbon Fiber from Biomass

Posted on February 3, 2014

The Energy Department today announced up to $12 million in funding to advance the production of cost-competitive, high-performance carbon fiber material from renewable non-food-based feedstocks such as agricultural residues and woody biomass. Carbon fiber derived from biomass may be less costly to manufacture and offer greater environmental benefits than traditional carbon fiber produced from natural gas or petroleum. This funding supports the Energy Department’s Clean Energy Manufacturing Initiative, which is a cross-cutting effort to ensure U.S. manufacturers remain competitive in the global marketplace.

New Manufacturing Innovation Institutes Funding Announced

Posted on May 9, 2013

As part of President Obama’s manufacturing agenda “National Network for Manufacturing Innovation (NNMI),” the Administration today announced that it is launching competitions to create three new manufacturing innovation institutes with a Federal commitment of $200 million across five Federal agencies—Defense, Energy, Commerce, NASA, and the National Science Foundation. The Department of Defense will lead two of the new Institutes, focused on “Digital Manufacturing and Design Innovation” and “Lightweight and Modern Metals Manufacturing,” and the Department of Energy will be leading one new institute on “Next Generation Power Electronics Manufacturing.”

All three institutes will be selected through an open, competitive process, led by the Departments of Energy and Defense, with review from a multi-agency team of technical experts. Winning teams will be selected and announced later this year.

HRSA Announces Funding to Help Veterans Pursue Nursing

Posted on April 29, 2013

Accredited nursing schools and health care facilities can apply through June 7 for up to $350,000 a year in funding to increase veterans’ enrollment in baccalaureate nursing programs, and explore ways to award academic credit for prior military health care experience or training, the Health Resources and Services administration announced today. The agency expects to award up to nine four-year cooperative agreements. The funding was announced at a White House Forum on Military Credentialing and Licensing.