Manufacturing USA

An Update on Program Status,

Congressional Reauthorization and Key 2020 Initiatives

Visiting Committee on Advanced Technology

February 12, 2020

Mike Molnar

NIST Office of Advanced Manufacturing
Current Status

Reauthorization 

2020 / 2021 Activities

Competitive International Programs

Manufacturing USA Update
Revitalize American Manufacturing and Innovation Act 

enacted December 2014

National 

Program Office 

at NIST

Program and 

Network 

coordinated & 

supported by

NIST

Annual 

Congressional 

Reports, Biennial 

GAO assessments 

& Triennial 

Strategic Plans

DoD and DOEsponsored 

institutes are 

part of network

“Open topic” 

institute 

competitions

MEP role in 

program

NIST Labs Highly Engaged in Manufacturing USA

o Involved in all institute competitions 

o Advisory roles in 12 institutes

o Active collaborations in 8 institutes

o NIST lab staff get direct insights on industry 

measurement and standards needs.

NIST Roles in Manufacturing USA
NIST NIIMBL Institute

• NIIMBL is the NIST-sponsored MFG USA Institute

Accelerating Biopharmaceutical Manufacturing innovation

• Launched March 2017

5 year, $189 M public-private partnership

• $50 M portfolio

Technical & workforce development projects

• New 200,000 sf, $165 million Headquarters

Funded by UD & philanthropy – moving in February 24th, formal campus 

dedication/ribbon cutting Fall 2020

• 140 members: 

• AstraZeneca, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly, Genentech, Glaxo SmithKline, Janssen R&D, Merck, MilliporeSigma, Pfizer, Sartorius.

• 44 SMEs, 41 research institutions, 

38 community colleges/state/NPOs (4 MEPs), 6 federal agencies
Project Highlight: 

NIIMBL Buffer Stock Blending System 

Merck

Millipore Sigma

BioPhorum Operations Group

NIIMBL HQ (Newark, DE)

• Global roadmapping collaboration to prototype 

just-in-time automated solution preparation

• Innovation will reduce both capital and operating costs 

• Testbed installation at NIIMBL in March 2020

IMPACT: 

Reduce future facilities costs by $20-50 M.

Future conversion to single-use-systems will 

further reduce capital costs by $100-$300 M.

Other savings –

• 90% reduction in labor for buffer preparation

• Removes manufacturing bottleneck

Image: NIIMBL
NIIMBL and NIST: Key Partners in Helping Industry Innovate

NIIMBL mission aligns with NIST’s technical portfolio in 

biomanufacturing, and enhances vital connections to industry for 

the labs

NIST’s role as an ‘honest broker’ between regulator and 

regulated industry guides NIIMBL in managing critical 

stakeholder relationships

NIIMBL can facilitate NIST’s standards development mission by 

leveraging partnerships, materials, ecosystem connectivity

NIST supports supply chain development for new technologies by 

linking SMMs to institutes through the MEP

NIST facilitates NIIMBL’s engagement with other federal agencies Image: NIIMBL
Bio 

Manufacturing

Digital / 

Automation

Electronics Materials Energy / 

Environment

Manchester, NH

Newark, DE

Regenerative 

Manufacturing

Chicago, IL

Digital 

Manufacturing Albany, NY

Rochester, NY

Integrated 

Photonics

New York, NY

Modular 

Chemical 

Process 

Intensification

Detroit, MI

Lightweight 

Metals

Cambridge, MA

Advanced Fibers 

and Textiles

Rochester, NY

Sustainable 

Manufacturing

Biopharmaceutical 

Manufacturing

Raleigh, NC

Wide Bandgap 

Semiconductors

Knoxville, TN

Advanced 

Composites

Youngstown, OH

Additive 

Manufacturing

Los Angeles, CA

Smart 

Manufacturing

San Jose, CA

Flexible

Hybrid 

Electronics

Pittsburgh, PA

Advanced 

Robotics

New - 2020

Cybersecurity 

in Mfg. 

Institute

New – 2021 

Bioindustrial

Mfg. Institute

Manufacturing USA Institutes
Collective Institutes’ Impacts

Image: Adobe Stock

14 institutes and

1,900+ member 

organizations 

partnering on grand 

challenges

476 major 

collaborative R&D 

projects

63% of members are 

from industry and 

70% are small

$183M in federal 

funds attracts $304M 

in state/private funds

+200,000 people 

trained in advanced 

manufacturing

Vision: U.S. global leadership in advanced manufacturing

Mission: Connecting people, ideas, and technology 

• solve industry-relevant advanced manufacturing 

challenges

• enhance industrial competitiveness and economic growth 

• strengthen our national security
Ability to renew federal funding for any manufacturing institute that 

meets performance standards

Emphasizes education and workforce development

Authority for pilot programs and public service grants supporting any 

institute

Encourages new advanced manufacturing institutes

Alliance pathway facilitates private or non-profits joining as 

Manufacturing USA institutes

New Legislative Reauthorization: Dec 2019

Key impacts to NIST:

Global Leadership in Advanced Manufacturing (GLAM) Act
Issue NIST RFI for 5 month duration, while convening public outreach roundtables

Partner with existing manufacturing-related events/conferences to hold roundtables in high 

impact regions and industry segments 

Plan NIST-sponsored roundtable events in “gap areas”

Announce plans at IMTS 2020 September, Chicago

NIST OAM Key 2020 Initiative: 

Alliance Institute Pathway Development
AMTech Program: 

Projects led to at least 5 

Manufacturing USA institutes 

12 roadmaps used as fundamental 

guides by Manufacturing USA 

institutes

Several other consortia continue to 

operate

2020 budget provided $1M to OAM 

for funding technology 

roadmapping competitions for 

promising advanced manufacturing 

areas

Preparing a Notice of Funding 

Opportunity and seeking additional 

funds

Expecting 5-7 awards to begin in 

FY2021

NIST OAM Key 2020 Initiative: 

Technology Roadmap Competition (AMTech 2020)
FY21 look ahead: President’s Budget Request

• NIST to continue 

coordinating/supporting Network

• Conclude funding of first NISTsponsored institute

• Launch competition for a new 

NIST-sponsored institute

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

FY 2019 Enacted FY 2020 Enacted FY 2021 Request

Dollars (millions)

Manufacturing USA

FY 2020 

Enacted

FY 2021 

Request 

Difference

$16.0 $25.3 $9.3 +58.1%
Power Battery Manufacturing 

Innovation Center

Lightweight Materials Technology

National Intelligent Connected Vehicle 

Innovation Center

National Robot Innovation Center

National Agriculture Machine 

Innovation Center

The National Integrated Circuit 

Innovation Center 

Smart Sensor Innovation Center

The National Institute of Additive Manufacturing

The National Information Optoelectronics 

Innovation Center

National Innovation Institute of Digital 

Design and Manufacturing

Rail Transportation Equipment 

National Printing and Flexible Display 

Innovation Center

Blue = Benchmarked 

Made in China 2025

• $300 billion investment in manufacturing over 5 years

• 40 Manufacturing Innovation Institutes by 2025

Image: Adobe Stock

Manufacturing Innovation Centers in China

• Advanced Manufacturing goals Increasing the 

Chinese-domestic content of core materials to 40 % 

by 2020 and 70 % by 2025

• 4 Focus Areas:

 Indigenous innovation and IP

 Domestic brands

 Secure, controllable standards

 Localization of production and data
China’s new Digital Manufacturing Institute

OAM China Manufacturing Innovation Centers

• China closely studies and models Manufacturing USA

• Visited 8 institutes, met with senior leaders and numerous 

architects of Made in China 2025

Takeaways: 

• China views “Manufacturing is the foundation of a country”

• China invests massively on developing manufacturing 

technology in order to capitalize on transitioning global 

innovations into products

• China is currently #1 in manufacturing, #1 in growth rate, #1 in 

manufacturing R&D, and has concrete plans to dominate 

manufacturing of advanced technology products

• U.S. manufacturing of high technology products is under threat

of losing leadership in a position we have long enjoyed

Benchmark Tour

China’s new Robotics Innovation Institute

Images: NIST OAM