This MOU does not create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable by law or equity,
by persons who are not a party to this agreement against the Parties, their officers or employees, or any
other person. This MOU does not direct or apply to any person outside of the Parties.

vil. COMMENCEMENT / DURATION / MODIFICATION / TERMINATION

This MOU is to take effect upon the last signature date of the Parties, and shall remain in effect for a
period of 5 years. This MOU may be extended or modified at any time while it is in effect, per the
mutual written agreement of the Parties in the form of an amendment to this MOU. Additionally, a
Party may terminate its participation in this MOU at any time by providing written notice to the other
Party’s Principal POC at least 60 days in advance of the desired termination date.

Signed,
Carroll Thomas
Director, Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership Program

National Institute of Standards and Technology
U.S. Department of Commerce

LU hbo

Date: zlee/ 20/7

Dr. Kathleen Hogan
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency

Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
U.S. Department of Energy

Lab De

oe__ 2/28 {2017



UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Institute of Standards and Technology
Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899-

MEMORANDUM of UNDERSTANDING
BETWEEN THE
U.S, DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
OFFICE OF ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND RENEWABLE ENERGY
ADVANCED MANUFACTURING OFFICE

AND THE
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS AND TECHNOLOGY
HOLLINGS MANUFACTURING EXTENSION PARTNERSHIP

February 2017
IL PURPOSE AND GOALS

This Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) constitutes an agreement between the U.S. Department of
Energy (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Advanced Manufacturing Office
(AMO); and the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) National Institute of Standards and Technology
(NIST), Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) — hereinafter referred to individually as
"Party" and collectively as the “Parties.”

The purpose of this MOU is to define an agreement through which:

© The DOE will leverage the assets and resources of the national MEP Program to assist the
Manufacturing USA formally known as the National Network for Manufacturing Innovation
(NNMI) Institutes for Manufacturing Innovation (IMIs) led by the DOE as they strive to broadly
and deeply enhance their impact on small and medium sized U.S. manufacturers.

e NIST MEP will expand its ability to positively impact the competitiveness and growth of U.S.
manufacturers by developing expertise in the focus areas of the DOE-led IMIs.

The intent of this MOU is to provide an overarching framework to identify opportunities for synergy and
collaboration among the programmatic efforts of the DOE, the DOE-led IMIs, and NIST MEP. The
Parties’ goal is to enhance collaboration by engaging small and medium-sized U.S. manufacturers more
fully to optimize benefits and results from the public and private investments in the IMIs.

The objectives of the Parties to this MOU are to coordinate, leverage, and build upon the experience
and capabilities of NIST MEP relating to the needs of small and medium-sized U.S. manufacturers, in
order to effectively and efficiently meet the goals and objectives of the DOE-led IMis; to ensure that
collaborative programmatic efforts efficiently draw upon the expertise of each Party; and to avoid
redundancies among these two Federal departments.

NUT


The goals of the Parties in supporting this MOU are to identify and capitalize on opportunities to
facilitate the means by which:

¢ Small and medium-sized U.S. manufacturers are made aware of the technologies (applying to
both products and processes), technical methods, technological approaches, resources, and
assets of the DOE-funded IMIs;

© Small and medium-sized U.S. manufacturers are involved in the processes and activities
associated with informing and developing the research agendas of the DOE-funded IMs;

¢ Small and medium-sized U.S. manufacturers are represented in the conduct of research projects
occurring through the DOE-funded IMIs; and

¢ The results of research occurring through the DOE-funded IMIs are transitioned to small and
medium-sized U.S. manufacturers for implementation.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE PARTIES

Each Party of this MOU intends to carry out its responsibilities through the organizations identified as
follows:

A.

B.

DOE: AMO intends to provide expertise to NIST MEP to facilitate interagency coordination and
support activities conducted pursuant to this MOU. The DOE will work with the IMIs it is funding to
encourage the ongoing engagement of small manufacturers in the research efforts conducted by the
IMIs.

NIST: NIST MEP intends to provide leadership and expertise from its MEP Program staff to facilitate
coordination with its nationwide network of MEP Centers, participating at their discretion, to
support the activities of the IMIs as noted in the goals under Section |, above.

As indicated in Section | of this MOU, opportunities may be identified that may benefit from
collaborative efforts in specific focus areas between NIST MEP Centers and individual DOE-led IMIs.
To help guide these potential collaborations, NIST MEP and DOE intend to jointly develop guidance
documents that will provide guidance from the two agencies to facilitate the formation, operation
and management of these collaborations.

MOU MANAGEMENT

The DOE’s Principal Point of Contact (POC) for this agreement is the Director of the AMO or his designee.
The NIST Principal POC is the Director of the MEP Program or his designee.

Contact information for the DOE and NIST MEP is provided below.

DOE: Dr. Mark Johnson

Director, Advanced Manufacturing Office

Room 5F-065, MS EE-51

1000 Independence Avenue SW Washington, DC 20585
202-586-9488 w

Mark.Johnson@ee.doe.gov


NIST MEP: Dr. David C. Cranmer
Deputy Director, Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership
NIST MEP
100 Bureau Drive Stop 4800
Gaithersburg, MD 20899-4800

dave.cranmer@nist.gov
301-975-5753 w

Subject to legal and fiscal limitations, each Party plans to engage relevant programs, offices, and other
entities within their agency to provide or coordinate resources or activities; support development of
appropriate tools or training; and make staff available or otherwise provide employee support for
collaboration.

Both Parties expressly acknowledge that the activities under this MOU shall be subject to the availability
of agency resources in conjunction with agency programmatic requirements and priorities.

WV. METRICS AND TARGETS

The Parties intend to develop metrics and annual targets related to the Parties’ goals, and to work
collaboratively to seek continuous improvement and enhanced performance over time.

v. AUTHORITIES
The authorities to enter this framework MOU are:

¢ DOE: Authority to enter into the MOU is provided under section 646 of the Department of
Energy Organization Act (Pub. L. No. 95-91, as amended; 42 U.S.C. § 7256), which allows DOE to
enter into agreements with other public agencies to further DOE’s mission.

¢ NIST MEP: 15 U.S.C. §§272 (b)(1), and 278k
Vi. LIMITATIONS

This MOU is neither a fiscal nor a funds obligation document. Nothing in this MOU authorizes or is
intended to obligate the Parties to expend, exchange, or reimburse funds, services, or supplies, or
transfer or receive anything of value. Nothing in this MOU may be construed to obligate the NIST or DOE
to any current or future expenditure of resources in advance of the availability of appropriations. Nor
does this MOU obligate the NIST or DOE to spend funds on any particular project or purpose, even if
funds are available.

This MOU does not, and is not intended to impose any legally binding requirements on the Parties. If
necessary or desirable, the Parties may jointly agree upon and issue formal guidance interpreting this
MOU and background materials upon which it is based. This MOU does not constitute final agency
action on any issue. Any actions contemplated by this MOU are to be carried out in an appropriate
administrative process by the acting agency in accordance with all applicable laws and regulations.