Empire State Development today announced its Division of Science, Technology & Innovation (NYSTAR) received a $1.2 million federal award from the National Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST) to support New York State’s Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) program. The funding will be used to add MEP personnel into institutes that are part of Manufacturing USA (formerly the National Network for Manufacturing Innovation), helping to increase the impact of those institutes on small and mid-sized manufacturers across New York State.
“These funds will enable New York to bolster its MEP organizations and their efforts to spur job creation and increase manufacturing statewide, while also increasing program efficiency and strengthening the industry,” said Empire State Development President, CEO & Commissioner Howard Zemsky. “This award is a testament to the tremendous work done by NYSTAR to assist companies at all levels and at all stages of production. On behalf of ESD, I thank NIST for this investment in New York’s small and mid-sized manufacturers.”
The NIST award totals $1.2 million over two years and ESD, as the NIST-designated New York MEP Center, plans to embed New York MEP specialists in four institutes across the state. The specialists will serve as a liaison between the institutes, the MEP network, and small and mid-sized manufacturers (SMMs). The specialists will be responsible for designing and executing a set of “push” activities (those that advance deployment of institute research) and “pull” activities (those that help the institutes understand and respond to the innovation needs of SMMs). By accelerating innovation and technology adoption by small and mid-sized companies, competitiveness will increase among New York manufacturers.
The four institutes that are partnering on this effort are:
The AIM Photonics specialist will be in residence at the Rochester headquarters. The IACMI specialist will be in residence at the Composite Prototyping Center (CPC) – the $15 million facility on Long Island that is designated as IACMI’s Northeastern U.S. satellite location. The third specialist will be in residence at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), which is part of both DMDII and America Makes. Specifically, RIT is a Tier 1 Academic Member of DMDII, with institute facilities and expertise concentrated in RIT’s Golisano Institute for Sustainability. RIT is also a Silver Member of America Makes, with institute facilities and expertise concentrated in RIT’s College of Engineering and the Additive Manufacturing and Multifunctional Printing Center (AMPrint).
ESD is now accepting applications for the three NNMI specialist positions openings, which are for two years and are grant-funded. More information can be found here. Applications are due by November 25, 2016.
New York State developed its federal proposal in collaboration with the four other awardees to encourage network building and leverage embedded personnel across systems of both MEP Centers and Manufacturing USA. Together, this group will act as NIST MEP’s main linkage points to the Manufacturing USA Institutes.
Carroll Thomas, Director, National Institute of Standards & Technology MEP said, “These projects will draw on the MEP system’s nearly 30 years of experience helping small U.S. manufacturers adapt to changes in technology and play an important role in the nation’s economy. The pilot with AIM Photonics and New York MEP will leverage that unique expertise to ensure that small manufacturers are engaged with the important work of the institute.”
Dr. Michael Liehr, CEO, AIM Photonics said, “The addition of a New York MEP specialist to AIM Photonics provides us with another level of resources and further strengthens our ability to not only partner with more small and medium size enterprises but also more fully incorporate their needs as we develop the next generation of integrated photonics technology. Together with the combined personnel and expertise of AIM and lead agency SUNY Polytechnic Institute, the NY MEP will help enable innovation benefiting local and national manufacturers of every size.”
Leonard Poveromo, Executive Director, CPC said, “On behalf of the Composite Prototyping Center (CPC), which is the Northeast satellite of IACMI, we are very excited to participate in ESD’s federal award. With the funding, we will help small and mid-size manufacturers to develop new advanced composites initiatives and create new job opportunities.”
Ryne Raffaele, Vice President for Research and Associate Provost, RIT said, “Rochester Institute of Technology greatly appreciates the opportunity to partner on these programs with NIST and New York State. RIT is currently affiliated with five of the awarded Manufacturing USA institutes, so we’re very much looking forward to working with the MEP and small and mid-sized manufacturers – both locally and nationally – to use our assets to fully capitalize on this opportunity.”
About New York MEP
The New York Manufacturing Extension Partnership (NY MEP) is a network of organizations that provide growth and innovation services to small and mid-sized manufacturers in every corner of the state to help them create and retain jobs, increase profits, and save time and money.
Administered by Empire State Development’s Division of Science, Technology & Innovation, NY MEP is part of the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership and is supported through a combination of federal and state funding.
New York State is home to over 17,000 manufacturing establishments employing about 452,500 people. Ten NY MEP centers serve manufacturers in each of New York’s ten regions, and an eleventh center provides statewide marketing, matching, and referral of companies to needed resources. Last year, NY MEP helped manufacturers create or retain over 5,000 jobs and benefit from over $1 billion in cost savings, revenue increases, and other economic impacts.
About NYSTAR
Empire State Development’s Division of Science, Technology and Innovation (NYSTAR) advances technology innovation and commercialization in New York State. Its 70+ funded centers provide direct assistance to companies from start-up through maturity, leveraging the state’s unparalleled investment in world-class technology assets and expertise.
150 State Street
Suite 301
Albany, NY 12207
80 M St SE
Washington, DC 20003
518-436-6202
_.png){kind=spacer}