MATTR

The MEP-Assisted Technology and Technical Resource (MATTR) service offers clients of MEP Centers, small and medium-sized 

manufacturers (SMMs), direct access to wide-ranging, world-class technical expertise available at the National Institute of 

Standards and Technology (NIST) research labs and user facilities. The following examples demonstrate a variety of ways 

MATTR has helped MEP clients.

A Look at SMM & MEP Center Successes

Innovate Hawaii (the Hawaii MEP Center) contacted the MATTR service for a client, a small photonics company with a 

Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant-developed advanced confocal microscope. This client needed help testing 

and evaluating their microscope with an advanced laser light source. 

The MATTR service identified a NIST scientist who was very interested in pursuing a research project with the company

because of the potential of the ultra-fast laser and advanced microscope pair. As a result, there is now a Cooperative Research

and Development Agreement (CRADA) between the company and NIST that will also include the MEP Center.

Connecting Client Company to Research Partner at NIST

GENEDGE (the Virginia MEP Center) worked with a new technology company to provide growth services. The company 

developed novel wastewater treatment technologies with extraordinary capabilities to filter and clean wastewater and 

recover valuable resources that would otherwise be lost. This MEP client company needed help from an expert in water 

reclamation to understand potential market applications for their product. 

GENEDGE submitted a MATTR request and a NIST expert provided new and valuable insights for the GENEDGE client 

in just a brief conversation. In addition, the NIST expert put the GENEDGE client in contact with a prime player in the 

wastewater reclamation market who was currently evaluating new technologies. The MATTR service gave the company 

validating business insights and an actionable, direct channel to a strategic partner that could potentially assist in their 

commercialization efforts.

Expert Insight into Market Applications and Contact with Potential Partner

A small client company of Nevada Industry Excellence (the Nevada MEP Center) needed help with characterizations of 

soils after treatment with their specialized product. Through the MATTR service, NIST scientific and engineering staff were 

identified, but no longer actively conducting this sort of research at NIST. However, the NIST experts connected the MEP 

client company to labs at several universities that could make the measurements.

Connections to Expertise Beyond NIST Laboratories
ww

Contact Us:

Do you have clients with problems needing technical or scientific solutions? Are you unsure as to where to find these 

solutions? MATTR can help. Please contact Dr. Marlon Walker of NIST MEP at marlon.walker@nist.gov for more information.

WWW.NIST.GOV/MEP/MEP-NATIONAL-NETWORK

 1-800-MEP-4MFG • MFG@NIST.GOV

A New Mexico MEP client makes thin dielectric films for Department of Defense (DoD) applications. The client had issues 

reliably measuring the thickness and other properties of their films and sought technical assistance to improve their film 

characterization capability. 

Through MATTR, a NIST expert in this field was identified who made extensive, high-accuracy film measurements and 

suggested alternatives in the MEP client’s film assessment process. The company was grateful for direct access to NIST’s 

expertise through the MATTR service.

High-Accuracy Measurements and Suggestions for Process Improvements 

A small manufacturer of personal computer components wanted to expand into new product areas and sought assistance 

and ideas from its local MEP Center, California Manufacturing Technology Consulting (CMTC). Through the MATTR service 

the MEP client company connected with the NIST Technology Partnerships Office, which maintains a library of NIST 

patents and inventions. Simply providing a link to the list of NIST inventions gave this MEP client company helpful ideas 

for potential products. 

Ideas to Fuel Expansion into New Product Areas

A client of GENEDGE (the Virginia MEP Center) specializing in colorimetric sensors for chemicals and explosives requested 

technical assistance in developing a new, novel sensor. NIST scientists and engineers with knowledge of the field responded 

to the MATTR request for assistance and provided suggestions for possible manufacturing techniques suitable for the 

company’s product. NIST experts also offered to train the MEP client’s employees in these techniques at a NIST facility. 

Although they ultimately decided to move in a different direction, the MEP client company acknowledged the benefits in 

time and money saved through their interactions with NIST engineers.

Technical Assistance and Employee Training on Manufacturing Techniques 

MATTR by the Numbers

 originating from NIST Labs 7 

41 MATTR instances originating from MEP Centers

MEP Centers participating in MATTR assistance 20 instances

MEP Center client manufacturing companies 41 served by MATTR resulting in a CRADA involving NIST 1 and the MEP Center client

resulting in a pending CRADA involving 1 NIST and the MEP Center client