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[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 189 (Friday, September 28, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Page 59599]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-23887]

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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

Notice of Public Meeting: Designing for Impact IV: Workshop on 
Building the National Network for Manufacturing Innovation

AGENCY: Advanced Manufacturing Office, Office of Energy Efficiency and 
Renewable Energy, Department of Energy (DOE).

ACTION: Notice of public meeting.

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SUMMARY: DOE's Advanced Manufacturing Office, as part of the inter-
agency Advanced Manufacturing National Program Office (AMNPO) announces 
the fourth of a series of public workshops entitled ``Designing for 
Impact: Workshop on Building the National Network for Manufacturing 
Innovation. This workshop series provides a forum for the AMPNO to 
present on the proposed National Network for Manufacturing Innovation 
(NNMI) and its regional components, Institutes for Manufacturing 
Innovation (IMIs) and to provide an opportunity for public comment on 
the proposal. The discussion at the workshop will focus on the 
following topics: Technologies with Broad Impact, Institute Structure 
and Governance, Strategies for Sustainable Institute Operations, and 
Education and Workforce Development. The Designing for Impact workshop 
series is organized by representatives from the Department of Commerce, 
NIST; Department of Defense; Department of Energy; National Aeronautics 
and Space Administration; and National Science Foundation.

DATES: The meeting will be held Thursday, October, 18 2012, from 7:30 
a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

ADDRESSES: University of Colorado at Boulder, Law School, 2450 
Kittredge Loop Road, Boulder, CO 80309. Additional information can be 
found at http://manufacturing.gov/amp/ampevents.html.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Robert Ivester or Bhima Sastri, 202-
586-9488, NNMI4@sra.com.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The President has proposed that the federal 
government catalyze the creation of a NNMI as a central element of the 
U.S. response to the manufacturing competitiveness challenge.\1\ The 
proposed NNMI initiative focuses on strengthening and ensuring the long 
term competitiveness and job-creating power of U.S. manufacturing. The 
constituent IMIs would bring together industry, universities and 
community colleges, federal agencies, and U.S. states to accelerate 
innovation by investing in industrially-relevant manufacturing 
technologies with broad applications to bridge the gap between basic 
research and product development, provide shared assets to help 
companies--particularly small manufacturers--access cutting-edge 
capabilities and equipment, and create an unparalleled environment to 
educate and train students and workers in advanced manufacturing 
skills. Each IMI would serve as a regional hub of manufacturing 
excellence, providing the innovation infrastructure to support regional 
manufacturing and ensuring that our manufacturing sector is a key 
pillar in an economy that is built to last. Each IMI also would have a 
well-defined technology focus to address industrially-relevant 
manufacturing challenges on a large scale and to provide the 
capabilities and facilities required to reduce the cost and risk of 
commercializing new technologies. In his March 9, 2012 announcement, 
President Obama proposed building a national network consisting of up 
to 15 IMIs.
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    \1\ See http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/budget/fy2013/assets/budget.pdf, page 217.
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    On May 4, 2012 the AMNPO issued a Request for Information (RFI), 
seeking public comment on specific questions related to the structure 
and operations of the NNMI and IMIs. (77 FR 26509) The RFI was 
published in the Federal Register and may be found at: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2012-05-04/pdf/2012-10809.pdf. Comments in 
response to the RFI are due on or before 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on 
October 25, 2012. Those interested in providing written comments in 
response to the RFI should refer to the May 4, 2012 notice for 
information regarding submission of comments.

Tentative Agenda (Subject To Change)

    An agenda will be posted online when available at: http://manufacturing.gov/amp/ampevents.html. This meeting is an opportunity 
for participants to provide, based on their individual experience, 
individual information and facts regarding this topic. It is not the 
object of this session to obtain any group position or consensus. 
Rather, the Department is seeking as many recommendations as possible 
from all individuals at this meeting.

Registration and Accommodations

    Individuals planning to attend the fourth public workshop must 
sign-up in advance. Announcements of additional workshops may be found 
at: http://www.manufacturing.gov/amp/ampevents.html. Future workshops 
will also be announced in the Federal Register.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on September 21, 2012.
Kathleen Hogan,
Deputy Assistant Secretary, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.
[FR Doc. 2012-23887 Filed 9-27-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P
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