Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) 

National NetworkTM 

Key 2020 Initiatives

Carroll Thomas

NIST MEP Director

Visiting Committee on Advanced Technology

February 12, 2020
85

Net Promoter 

Score

2

60 NIST staff, plus 15 member national Advisory 

Board and 600 MEP Center Board members

MEP National Network of Partnerships
3

MEP National Network FY 2019 Impacts

Impact data collected by Fors Marsh (third party contractor) for 

NIST approximately 6-12 months after project completion.

FY 2019 $140M Plus $155M Match

MEP National Network provided assistance to over 8,000 manufacturers. 
Expand technical assistance in advanced manufacturing technology adoption- I 

• MEP Advanced Manufacturing Technology Services Notice of 

Funding Opportunity- Build on embedding collaboration with MFG USA. 

• Focused on Industry/Manufacturing 4.0 technical assistance on

state, regional or national scale.

• Up to 3 MEP Center awards; up to $3M total; with 4/1/20 start date.

• MEP National Network Industry 4.0 Working Group

• Forum to share best practices to accelerate the development of capabilities and capacities for MEP 

Centers.

• Additional Advanced Manufacturing Competitive Awards Program (CAP) initiatives

• Oregon MEP leading several MEP Centers to establish foundation of Industry 4.0 practice.

2020 Key Activities- Advanced Manufacturing

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Expand technical assistance in advanced manufacturing technology adoption- II

MEP-Assisted Technology and Technical Resource (MATTR) enabling MEP clients to work 

with NIST labs

• Initiated one CRADA in 2019 and a second will be initiated this month. 

• Continue $500K investment.

• Pursuing collaboration with American Association of Laboratory Accreditation (A2LA) 

• MEP Centers to provide support to SMM’s measurement science needs; assist and accelerate in 

technology adoption.

2020 Key Activities- Advanced Manufacturing

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Field 

Staff

Company 

POC

MATTR Program

Personnel

NIST Scientist 

or Engineer
Expand national cybersecurity awareness campaign for SMMs

• Requirement in 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for DOD to consult with MEP program to provide 

education, guidance and technical assistance to SMMs to assist in meeting cybersecurity requirements.

• Engage NIST ITL and National Network of MEP Centers to provide cybersecurity Assistance.

Focus on assisting small defense manufacturing suppliers 

• 30+ Awareness events nationwide with over 3,500 attendees; Over 100,000 downloads of Handbook 162. 

• Work with DoD on MEP assistance with Cybersecurity Maturity Model (CMMC) implementation by DoD contractors.

2020 Key Activities: Cybersecurity

Cyber for Defense Manufacturers Projects

• Funding from Office of Secretary of Defense.

• 10 companies selected for hands on technical 

assistance and assessments.

• 2 use cases provided to NIST Labs for 

development of Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) 

Manufacturing Profile Implementation Guidance. 

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National MEP Center 

effort to participate in 

cybersecurity awareness 

campaign
MEP National Network Food Safety Compliance Services 

Help: Lower risk of product recall and focuses on 

preventative controls 

2020 Key Activities: Food Safety

Food and Drug Administration

MOU signed in 2019

• Assist MEP Centers in addressing 

client food safety requirements

• Provide food safety technical 

assistance to help SMMs comply 

with safety requirements

• Strengthen food processing 

innovation and culture in the U.S.

Food Safety Preventative Control Alliance

MOU signed in 2018

• Access to industry associations, 

academia and other major food 

safety experts

• Provide Centers tailored access to 

food safety certification curriculum

• Provides all Centers appropriate 

expertise to serve SMMs

Global Food Safety Initiative

MOU signing in 2020

• Assist Centers in understanding 

and building capability to help 

SMMs with non-regulatory food 

safety and quality requirements

• Aligns appropriate Center services 

such as Lean to address nonregulatory requirements
Successful Projects Turn Into National Opportunities

 Office of Naval Research (ONR) “401 Tech Bridge” in Rhode Island MEP (Polaris) brought 

industry, academia, foundations, and federal and state governments together to support 

tech transfer to small and medium-sized manufacturers in the Tech Bridge model.

 GENEDGE (Virginia MEP) work with SMMs helping address production problems to improve 

the production of aircraft carriers on a Navy Shipbuilding project with NAVSEA.

Follow on national partnerships:

• ONR and MEP now developing a national Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to 

integrate several MEP Centers into Tech Bridge activities; targeting- CA, FL, IN, RI, SC, WA.

• NIST MEP coordinating effort with Centers- Impact Washington (WA MEP)performing 

study to help establish consortium of industry, government, and educational partners 

focused on materials innovation support for Navy.

2020 Key Activities: Major Collaborations with Navy
2020 Key Major NIST Collaborations and Activities

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Expand Expertise

Reduce to Practice

Facilitate Access

Engage the Collective

IIS

-OAM

• Focused MEP/ 

MFG USA 

institute 

connection and 

activities to 

SMMs

-BPEP

• Support 

development of 

Baldrige 

Workforce 

Award

-TPO

• Tech Transfer 

Surf Internship 

engagement

IT Lab

-Support NIST 

Implementation 

Guidance for 

Cyber Framework 

Mfg Profile

-Established bimonthly 

coordination 

meetings

-Participate in 

publication 

development

• SP 800-171A 

final draft

Engineering Lab

-Coordination of 

activities to 

support recovery 

in Puerto Rico

-Additional 

disaster 

collaborations

-Jointly develop 

additional 

guidance for 

manufacturers

Material 

Measurement and 

Physical 

Measurement 

Labs

- MEP client 

MATTR projects

-Accurate 

Measurements 

and suggestions 

for process 

improvements

Internal NIST Collaborations
Transition NIST MEP staff to renovated building 301 office space with minimal 

productivity interruption.

• To date NIST MEP staff have been away from 

their workspace in Building 301 for 16 months.

• MEP Move Committee formed to help staff 

prepare for and make an orderly transition back 

into MEP-designated office space.

• Anticipated to move back into a renovated 

workspace within Building 301 in Fall of 2020.

• MEP staff is very grateful to the OneNIST spirit of OFPM and AMD 

leadership, and entire Incident Response Team for managing

the process and successfully speeding up MEP move back 

to office space by at least 2 years! 

• MEP staff is equally thankful to EL, PML, GMD, OAM, TPO 

and all the NIST staff around NIST for allowing us to hotel 

in their spaces for what will eventually be 2 years.

2020 MEP Staff Move Back to Renovated Bldg 301

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NIST MEP Workspace, Building 301
Thank You