To accelerate research, development, and innovation in advanced manufacturing, to improve the competitiveness of American manufacturers, and for other purposes.

Summary: Advancing Innovative Manufacturing Act of 2012 - Amends the National Institute of Standards and Technology Act to require the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to carry out a program to develop and support industry-led consortia that will identify, prioritize, and address long-term, precompetitive industrial research needs in the area of advanced manufacturing, including through the use of technology roadmaps and transfer of technology platforms and infrastructure.

Requires the Director to carry out a pilot program (through the award of competitive, merit-reviewed grants, cooperative agreements, or contracts to small- or medium-sized manufacturers through a uniform process) to enhance the innovative capabilities and competitiveness of such manufacturers through support for research and development that will promote the field of advanced manufacturing and lead to the commercialization of new products, processes, or technologies.

Amends the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 to direct the Secretary of Commerce to establish an innovation voucher pilot program to accelerate innovative activities and enhance the competitiveness of small- and medium-sized manufacturers, which shall: (1) foster collaborations between such manufacturers and research institutions, and (2) enable the manufacturers to access technical expertise and capabilities that will lead to the development of innovative products or manufacturing processes.

Amends the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 to revise the program of grants for education and training in advanced manufacturing so that such grants are provided to community colleges for the development and implementation of innovative education reforms to ensure an adequate and well-trained advanced manufacturing workforce. Lists activities that may be supported by such grants, including for: (1) the development of teaching materials and methods, (2) faculty professional development, (3) centers to provide models and leadership, and (4) activities to enhance student recruitment and retention.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Advancing Innovative Manufacturing 
Act of 2012''.

SEC. 2. ADVANCED MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY CONSORTIA.

    Section 33 of the National Institute of Standards and Technology 
Act (15 U.S.C. 278r) is amended to read as follows:

``SEC. 33. ADVANCED MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY CONSORTIA.

    ``(a) Authority.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Director shall carry out a program 
        to facilitate the development of and provide support to 
        industry-led consortia that will identify, prioritize, and 
        address long-term, precompetitive industrial research needs in 
        the area of advanced manufacturing.
            ``(2) Program objectives.--The objectives of the program 
        established under this section include the following:
                    ``(A) To promote collective public-private efforts 
                to develop key technology platforms and infrastructure 
                for advanced manufacturing.
                    ``(B) To enable the prioritization of public 
                research portfolios to be more responsive to the long-
                term technology development needs of industry.
                    ``(C) To leverage Federal investment in advanced 
                manufacturing with shared investment by the private 
                sector.
                    ``(D) To increase industrial research and 
                development investment in precompetitive technology 
                platforms and infrastructure.
                    ``(E) To accelerate technological innovation in 
                advanced manufacturing.
                    ``(F) To foster broad participation by industry, 
                the Federal Government, institutions of higher 
                education, and State, local, and tribal governments in 
                advanced manufacturing research and development.
    ``(b) Activities.--As part of the program established under this 
section, the Director shall--
            ``(1) support the formation of industry-led consortia 
        composed of representatives from industry (including small- and 
        medium-sized manufacturers), institutions of higher education, 
        the Federal Government, State, local, and tribal governments, 
        and other entities, as appropriate;
            ``(2) collaborate with consortia participants in the 
        development of technology roadmaps that identify research needs 
        in the area of advanced manufacturing;
            ``(3) support precompetitive research directed at meeting 
        the research needs identified in the roadmaps developed under 
        paragraph (2);
            ``(4) promote the transfer of precompetitive technology 
        platforms and infrastructure resulting from consortia research 
        to the private sector and facilitate open access to the 
        intellectual property underpinning those platforms and 
        technology; and
            ``(5) facilitate the development of new technologies into 
        commercial products.
    ``(c) Selection Criteria.--In selecting applications for awards 
under this section, the Director shall consider, at a minimum--
            ``(1) the degree to which the activities proposed under the 
        consortia will broadly impact manufacturing and increase the 
        productivity and economic competitiveness of the United States;
            ``(2) the level of technical risk to be addressed by the 
        consortia;
            ``(3) the potential to produce fundamental new knowledge; 
        and
            ``(4) the likelihood that the consortia will become self 
        sustaining, if appropriate.
    ``(d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated for carrying out this section $120,000,000 for each of 
fiscal years 2013 through 2017.''.

SEC. 3. SMALL MANUFACTURER INNOVATION PROGRAM.

    The National Institute of Standards and Technology Act (15 U.S.C. 
271 et seq.) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating section 34 as section 35; and
            (2) by inserting after section 33 the following:

``SEC. 34. SMALL MANUFACTURER INNOVATION PROGRAM.

    ``(a) In General.--The Director shall carry out a pilot program to 
enhance the innovative capabilities and competitiveness of small- and 
medium-sized manufacturers through support for research and development 
that will promote the field of advanced manufacturing and lead to the 
commercialization of new products, processes, or technologies for use 
in advanced manufacturing.
    ``(b) Objectives.--The objectives of the program under this section 
are--
            ``(1) to accelerate the development of processes and, as 
        appropriate, incremental innovations that will improve how 
        goods are designed, produced, or distributed;
            ``(2) to advance the development and commercialization of 
        novel products and technologies for use in advanced 
        manufacturing;
            ``(3) to reduce the technical and economic risks associated 
        with developing new products, processes, or technologies for 
        use in advanced manufacturing;
            ``(4) to foster cooperative research and development 
        between small- and medium-sized manufacturers and research 
        institutions; and
            ``(5) to promote research and development collaboration 
        among small- and medium-sized manufacturers facing similar 
        technical challenges or obstacles, including collaboration 
        along a supply chain.
    ``(c) Program.--
            ``(1) Award phases.--The Director shall award competitive, 
        merit-reviewed grants, cooperative agreements, or contracts to 
        small- or medium-sized manufacturers in the United States 
        through a uniform process having--
                    ``(A) a first phase for determining, insofar as 
                possible, the scientific and technical merit and 
                feasibility of a proposal; and
                    ``(B) a second phase to further develop proposals, 
                including the development of prototypes, for which 
                scientific and technical merit and feasibility was 
                demonstrated in the first phase.
            ``(2) Applications.--A small- or medium-sized manufacturer 
        seeking an award under this section shall submit an application 
        to the Director at such time, in such manner, and containing 
        such information as the Director may require.
    ``(d) Stakeholder Input.--In carrying out the program under this 
section, the Director shall solicit stakeholder input on how best to 
carry out the program.
    ``(e) Coordination and Nonduplication.--To the maximum extent 
practicable, the Director shall ensure that the activities carried out 
under this section are coordinated with, and do not duplicate the 
efforts of, other programs within the Federal Government.
    ``(f) Report.--Not later than 4 years after the date of enactment 
of the Advancing Innovative Manufacturing Act of 2012, the Director 
shall transmit a report to Congress assessing the program established 
under this section. The report shall include--
            ``(1) a summary of the activities carried out under the 
        program;
            ``(2) an assessment of whether the program is achieving its 
        goals, including a description of the metrics used to determine 
        progress in meeting such goals;
            ``(3) any recommendations on how the program may be 
        improved; and
            ``(4) a recommendation as to whether such program should be 
        continued or terminated.
    ``(g) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to the Director to carry out this section--
            ``(1) $15,000,000 for fiscal year 2013;
            ``(2) $25,500,000 for fiscal year 2014;
            ``(3) $39,750,000 for fiscal year 2015;
            ``(4) $42,250,000 for fiscal year 2016; and
            ``(5) $50,000,000 for fiscal year 2017.''.

SEC. 4. INNOVATION VOUCHER PROGRAM.

    Section 25 of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 
1980 (15 U.S.C. 3720) is amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(d) Innovation Voucher Program.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary, acting through the Office 
        of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, shall establish an 
        innovation voucher pilot program to accelerate innovative 
        activities and enhance the competitiveness of small- and 
        medium-sized manufacturers in the United States. The pilot 
        program shall--
                    ``(A) foster collaborations between small- and 
                medium-sized manufacturers and research institutions; 
                and
                    ``(B) enable small- and medium-sized manufacturers 
                to access technical expertise and capabilities that 
                will lead to the development of innovative products or 
                manufacturing processes, including through--
                            ``(i) research and development, including 
                        proof of concept, technical development, and 
                        compliance testing activities;
                            ``(ii) early-stage product development, 
                        including engineering design services; and
                            ``(iii) technology transfer and related 
                        activities.
            ``(2) Award size.--The Secretary shall competitively award 
        vouchers worth up to $20,000 to small- and medium-sized 
        manufacturers for use at eligible research institutions to 
        acquire the services described in paragraph (1)(B).
            ``(3) Streamlined procedures.--The Secretary shall 
        streamline and simplify the application, administrative, and 
        reporting procedures for vouchers administered under the 
        program.
            ``(4) Regulations.--Prior to awarding any vouchers under 
        the program, the Secretary shall promulgate regulations--
                    ``(A) establishing criteria for the selection of 
                recipients of awards under this subsection;
                    ``(B) establishing procedures regarding financial 
                reporting and auditing--
                            ``(i) to ensure that awards are used for 
                        the purposes of the program; and
                            ``(ii) that are in accordance with sound 
                        accounting practices; and
                    ``(C) describing any other policies, procedures, or 
                information necessary to implement this subsection, 
                including those intended to streamline and simplify the 
                program in accordance with paragraph (3).
            ``(5) Transfer authority.--The Secretary may transfer funds 
        appropriated to the Department of Commerce to other Federal 
        agencies for the performance of services authorized under this 
        subsection.
            ``(6) Administrative costs.--All of the amounts 
        appropriated to carry out this subsection for a fiscal year 
        shall be used for vouchers awarded under this subsection, 
        except that an eligible research institution performing the 
        services described in paragraph (1)(B) may retain a percentage 
        of any amount received from the Secretary under this subsection 
        to defray administrative costs associated with the services. 
        The Secretary shall establish a single, fixed percentage for 
        such purposes that will apply to all eligible research 
        institutions.
            ``(7) Outreach.--The Secretary may use centers established 
        under section 25 of the National Institute of Standards and 
        Technology Act (15 U.S.C. 278k) to provide information about 
        the program established under this subsection and to conduct 
        outreach to potential applicants, as appropriate.
            ``(8) Reports to congress.--
                    ``(A) Plan.--Not later than 180 days after the date 
                of enactment of this subsection, the Secretary shall 
                transmit to Congress a plan that will serve as a guide 
                for the activities of the program. The plan shall 
                include a description of the specific objectives of the 
                program and the metrics that will be used in assessing 
                progress toward those objectives.
                    ``(B) Outcomes.--Not later than 3 years after the 
                date of enactment of this subsection, the Secretary 
                shall transmit to Congress a report containing--
                            ``(i) a summary of the activities carried 
                        out under this subsection;
                            ``(ii) an assessment of the impact of such 
                        activities on the innovative capacity of small- 
                        and medium-sized manufacturers receiving 
                        assistance under the pilot program; and
                            ``(iii) any recommendations for 
                        administrative and legislative action that 
                        could optimize the effectiveness of the pilot 
                        program.
            ``(9) Coordination and nonduplication.--To the maximum 
        extent practicable, the Secretary shall ensure that the 
        activities carried out under this subsection are coordinated 
        with, and do not duplicate the efforts of, other programs 
        within the Federal Government.
            ``(10) Eligible research institutions defined.--For the 
        purposes of this subsection, the term `eligible research 
        institution' means--
                    ``(A) an institution of higher education, as such 
                term is defined in section 101(a) of the Higher 
                Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001(a));
                    ``(B) a Federal laboratory;
                    ``(C) a federally funded research and development 
                center; or
                    ``(D) a Hollings Manufacturing Extension Center 
                established under section 25 of the National Institute 
                of Standards and Technology Act (15 U.S.C. 278k).
            ``(11) Authorization of appropriations.--There are 
        authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out the 
        pilot program in this subsection $5,000,000 for each of fiscal 
        years 2013 through 2017.''.

SEC. 5. ADVANCED MANUFACTURING EDUCATION.

    Section 506(b) of the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 
(42 U.S.C. 1862p-1(b)) is amended to read as follows:
    ``(b) Advanced Manufacturing Education.--The Director shall award 
grants, on a competitive, merit-reviewed basis, to community colleges 
for the development and implementation of innovative advanced 
manufacturing education reforms to ensure an adequate and well-trained 
advanced manufacturing workforce. Activities supported by grants under 
this subsection may include--
            ``(1) the development or expansion of educational 
        materials, courses, curricula, strategies, and methods that 
        will lead to improved advanced manufacturing degree or 
        certification programs, including the integration of industry 
        standards and workplace competencies into the curriculum;
            ``(2) the development and implementation of faculty 
        professional development programs that enhance a faculty 
        member's capabilities and teaching skills in advanced 
        manufacturing, including efforts to understand current advanced 
        manufacturing technologies and practices;
            ``(3) the establishment of centers that provide models and 
        leadership in advanced manufacturing education and serve as 
        regional or national clearinghouses for educational materials 
        and methods;
            ``(4) activities to enhance the recruitment and retention 
        of students into certification and degree programs in advanced 
        manufacturing, including the provision of improved mentoring 
        and internship opportunities; and
            ``(5) other activities as determined appropriate by the 
        Director.''.