NIST awards over $30 million to expand Manufacturing Extension Partnership centers in 11 states and Puerto Rico

The U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) awarded more than $30 million to 12 Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) centers in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Missouri, Montana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Utah, and Vermont.

Selected awardees must secure nonfederal matching funds of at least 50% and will enter into a cooperative agreement with NIST for an initial performance period of up to five years. Funding for the first year is provided, with future-year allocations contingent on annual performance reviews and alignment with NIST and Department of Commerce priorities.

The awards support efforts to increase adoption of advanced manufacturing technologies, including artificial intelligence, robotics, automation, and additive manufacturing, among small and medium-sized manufacturers.

Awardees are required to develop metrics for technology adoption that will be shared across the MEP National Network, which comprises nearly 1,400 advisers and experts at more than 450 service locations. Centers must also engage with flagship manufacturers in priority sectors identified by each center.

The competition was open to all eligible parties, including incumbent operators. New awardees were selected in Louisiana, Missouri, and Ohio, while other awards went to incumbent organizations. No selections were made for centers in Alaska or California; NIST plans to accept applications for these states in a future competition scheduled for early 2027, with cooperative agreements anticipated to begin on April 1, 2027.