Manufacturing USA 

Technology Roadmap (MfgTech) Grant Program

Lisa Jean Fronczek

June 25, 2021

Advanced Manufacturing National Program Office
Manufacturing USA: Securing U.S. Global 

Leadership in Advanced Manufacturing

Connecting people, ideas, and technology

• solve industry-relevant advanced 

manufacturing challenges

• enhance industrial competitiveness 

and economic growth 

• strengthen our national security

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2020 Network Impacts

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Technology Roadmap (MfgTech) 

Grant Program Funding 

Opportunity
Legal Disclaimer

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The notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) is the 

official competition document. Nothing in this presentation 

is intended to contradict or supersede the NOFO in any way. 

Any questions regarding the terms of the competition must 

be resolved by referring to the NOFO.

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/viewopportunity.html?oppId=334211
Notice of Funding 

Opportunity

• Eligibility

• Application Deadline

• Funding

• Scope

• Evaluation Criteria

• Application Process

Topics in Today's Webinar
Seek proposals to develop technology 

roadmaps for promising advanced manufacturing clusters

• Emphasis on areas of critical interest to the nation, including 

technology areas that may be appropriate 

for potential Manufacturing USA institutes

• Establish new or strengthen existing industrydriven manufacturing technology consortia 

Funding Opportunity
This initiative will strengthen long-term US leadership in 

critical advanced manufacturing technologies leading to 

sustainable economic growth and job creation..

• Tackle common technological barriers to the innovation

and manufacturing of new products

• Support the development of innovative new technologies

aligned with industry needs

• Compress the timescale of technological innovation

2013 & 2014 Advanced Manufacturing 

Technology Program

• Resulted in numerous technology roadmaps

• Five of the current Manufacturing USA 

Institutes

https://www.nist.gov/oam/programs/advanced-manufacturing-technology-consortia-amtech-program 

Background
What are they? How are they used?

Proven, strategic tools:

• Identifies technological barriers and related

development steps needed to achieve grand challenges

• Identifies pre-competitive challenges, not solutions, 

and time frame

• Aligns industry, academia, government, and other 

interested entities

• Enablers for high-risk/high-reward research and 

development of transformative tools and methodologies

• Enables game changing teams - competitors become 

collaborators

Advanced Manufacturing Technology Roadmaps
What are the characteristics of good roadmap teams?

• Bring together diverse members of the ecosystem 

(industry, academia, workforce, supply chain, etc.) 

• Work together to establish or strengthen industry-focused 

research consortia and to develop a shared vision of 

technology challenges

Advanced Manufacturing Technology Roadmaps
RECAP... MfgTech Roadmaps should

• Define major technological barriers that inhibit the growth 

of U.S. advanced manufacturing that no single organization 

could tackle on its own

• Identify and prioritize research projects supporting long-term 

industrial research needs 

• Create new or update broadly available industry-driven, shared-vision 

technology roadmaps to support strategic and long-range planning

• Catalyze development and support the maintenance of an American 

technology infrastructure in advanced manufacturing, including 

identifying technology areas appropriate for potential new 

Manufacturing USA institutes

Advanced Manufacturing Technology Roadmaps
Envisioned Impacts

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Increase in Industry-led consortia in advanced 

manufacturing

Over time, we may see...

 Increase in industry sectors and organizations 

involved in technology partnerships

 Companies working together to solve critical 

pre-competitive, manufacturing challenges 

 Technology transfer & knowledge dissemination

 New Manufacturing USA institutes

 New capital and industry-driven research 
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Intelligent Manufacturing Systems

Semiconductors, Electronics Design and Fabrication

Food and Agricultural Manufacturing

Advanced Transportation Systems Manufacturing

Healthcare Products & Drugs Manufacturing

Aeronautics/Aerospace & Space Manufacturing

Energy Production and Utilization

Advanced Materials Discovery and Processing

Biomaterials and Products Manufacturing

Nano/microsystems Manufacturing

Below are some of the 40+ technology topics with the 

potential for transformative impact

National Need for Manufacturing Innovation
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Intelligent Manufacturing Systems

Semiconductors, Electronics Design and Fabrication

Food and Agricultural Manufacturing

Advanced Transportation Systems Manufacturing

Healthcare Products & Drugs Manufacturing

Aeronautics/Aerospace & Space Manufacturing

Energy Production and Utilization

Advanced Materials Discovery and Processing

Biomaterials and Products Manufacturing

Nano/microsystems Manufacturing

Below are some of the 40+ technology topics with the 

potential for transformative impact

National Need for Manufacturing Innovation
Open to all domestic non-Federal entities, including

• Accredited institutions of higher education;

• Non-profit organizations 

• For-profit organizations incorporated in the United States

• State, local, territorial, and Indian tribal governments

Not eligible -- “non-Federal entities”

Individuals and unincorporated sole proprietors

Organizations may

• work individually,

• include proposed subrecipients, contractors, 

and/or unfunded collaborators

• Subrecipients must be eligible to apply too

Eligibility
Application Deadline

August 17, 2021

11:59 pm Eastern Time 
Funding & Number of Proposals

Up to $300,000 per award

(~6-10 awards)

Period of Performance: 

18 months

An entity may apply only once as 

a recipient; however, they may 

participate in any number of 

proposals as a subrecipient or 

collaborator
Bring together key expertise, access to facilities, or specialized goods and 

services especially if this will result in a larger national or regional impact. 

Strongly supports outreach to, recruitment of, and engagement with a 

diverse array of project participants. 

Letters of commitment needed from all known partners.

Project Teams
Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP)

• Work with small and medium size manufacturers to 

help them create and retain jobs and sales, increase 

profits, and save time and money.

• Focus on meeting manufacturer’s short-term needs, 

but in context of overall company strategy.

• Provide companies with tailored services including:

Supply Chain Technology Workforce

Innovation and 

Growth

Lean and Quality 

Export Product Development

Sustainability

MEP Centers

Website: www.nist.gov/mep

Contact: mfg@nist.gov

Blog: www.nist.gov/blogs/manufacturing-innovation-blog
Looking for diversity in the 

project teams and equity in the 

project outcomes

• Engage Minority

Service Institutions

• Consider how your project 

may benefit low-socio-economic 

or rural regions

Equity and Diversity 
#1 – Technical Challenges with National Impacts 

(40 points)

#2 – Roadmap Development Plan

(45 points)

#3 – Resource Availability

(15 points)

Evaluation Criteria
Vision, goals, & objectives – Major scientific and technology barriers 

that inhibit growth of US advanced manufacturing

Technical challenges – Strategic and long-term goals and barriers to 

success, pre-competitive enabling manufacturing processes and platform 

technology research, & state-of-the-art in that sector

National impacts – Importance and significance of the challenges

(i.e., national needs, existing industry capabilities, identification of ongoing 

and exiting efforts, and potential for having economic impacts, enhancing, 

or revitalizing US advanced manufacturing)

All sub-criteria will be weighted equally

#1 - Technical Challenges with National Impacts
Roadmap – strategic plan, project development and execution,

knowledge and technology diffusion, and pathways to adoption

Teaming – industry leadership and involvement, 

representatives across the value chain innovation ecosystem,

involvement/consideration of small- and medium enterprises

Award Activities & Post-project plans

• Roadmapping activities

• Measurable success metrics, timelines, relationship between 

major tasks, and people involved

#2 – Roadmap Development Plan

All sub-criteria will be weighted equally.
Resources -> people, budget, & facilities

Appropriateness and cost-effectiveness with respect 

to carrying out the work and meeting the objectives

#3 – Resource Availability
Merit Review • Three independent reviews

• Federal panel of at 

least 3 people

• A programmatic review

Panel

Evaluation
Alignment with grant program objectives

Duplication of efforts (avoid)

Geographic diversity (project participants), the distribution of project 

work among urban, suburban, and rural communities, and outcomes

The institutional diversity of project participants: SMEs, women, 

minorities, veterans, state/local/tribal governments, 

schools (CTE/community colleges/universities)

Selection Factors: One or more

Disclaimer: NOFO has the exact language
Applications must be 

submitted via grants.gov

Applicants should carefully 

follow specific grants.gov 

instructions

A receipt from grants.gov 

indicating an application is 

received does not provide 

information about whether 

attachments have been 

received. 

Merit Review 

& 

Panel Review

(August - September 2021)

Selection

(~September 2021)

Grant processing & award

(~October 2021)

Grants Process & Info

For further information or questions about the application process, contact grants.gov or 800-518-4726.

Factor in time to set up SAM and Grants.gov accounts!
Questions & Answers

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