Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) Projects - Growth Transformation

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) invites proposals from qualified organizations for projects that address new and emerging competitive needs of manufacturers in areas consistent with the NIST MEP Program’s five Strategic Growth Areas (Supply Chain, Sustainability, Technology Acceleration, Workforce and Continuous Improvement). Funded projects will improve the competitiveness of industries in the applicant’s region, and contribute to the long-term economic stability of the region. Please see the NIST MEP website, www.nist.gov/mep for details on these strategies. Competitive projects will use innovative or collaborative approaches to develop and demonstrate integrated tools, training and methodologies for growth transformation that meet the Strategic Growth Area needs and to share those approaches with the MEP National System. It is important that these awards be well aligned with the MEP national system of extension service providers in order to maximize the potential and impact of existing resources available to manufacturers through the MEP Program. Further information regarding this MEP Program is provided in the information packet, which can be obtained at www.grants.gov with additional background information provided at www.nist.gov/mep. The proposal should include plans for integration into the MEP national system and linkages to appropriate national resources.