Strengthening Manufacturing at Home

December 2012 Newsletter

Advanced Manufacturing Projects Awarded Funding

Ten public-private partnerships were awarded a total of $6.5 million to help revitalize American manufacturing and encourage companies to invest in the United States. The partnerships, announced October 9, were selected through the Advanced Manufacturing Jobs and Innovation Accelerator Challenge, which is a competitive multi-agency grant process announced in May 2012 to support initiatives that strengthen advanced manufacturing at the local level. The Challenge is a partnership between EDA and the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology, the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration, the U.S. Small Business Administration, and the National Science Foundation.

Make it in America Challenge Announced

In September, Acting Secretary of Commerce Rebecca Blank announced the Make it in America Challenge, which is an initiative designed to accelerate the trend of insourcing—that is, companies bringing jobs back and making additional investments in America. The competition is being funded by EDA, the Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology Manufacturing Extension Partnership, and the Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration. It will build upon the administration’s bottom-up approach to strengthening the economy and creating jobs by partnering with state, regional, and local economies. Stay tuned for details on how to apply.