National Network for Manufacturing Innovation Workshop to Take Place at UC Irvine

First workshop of its kind in Southern California

The Henry Samueli School of Engineering at UC Irvine will co-host a workshop for the National Network for Manufacturing Innovation (NNMI) on Thursday, September 27, 2012 at the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Center of the National Academies of Sciences and Engineering.



The event will be part of a series of workshops around the country, organized by the Advanced Manufacturing National Program Office (AMNPO), to introduce and encourage public discussion of a planned National Network for Manufacturing Innovation (NNMI).



The AMNPO was established to coordinate federal resources and programs across agencies to enhance technology transfer to U.S. manufacturers. The office is hosted by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in partnership with the Department of Defense, the Department of Education, the Department of Energy, NASA and the National Science Foundation.

The National Academy of Engineering (NAE), the National Academies' Government-University-Industry Research Roundtable (GUIRR) and University-Industry Demonstration Partnership (UIDP), NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), and UC Irvine have been working with members of NIST towards hosting the workshop and towards strengthening manufacturing in the Southern California region. 

The NNMI is a planned network of up to 15 regional "Institutes for Manufacturing Innovation" (IMI) proposed in the President's Fiscal Year 2013 budget. Operated as public-private collaborations, the institutes would address current gaps in manufacturing innovation by connecting research advances at academic institutions and federal laboratories with the nation's manufacturing community. Each institute will serve as a regional hub of manufacturing excellence, with programs tailored to regional needs.



Workshop participants will learn about the principles and concepts behind the NNMI and participate in interactive sessions designed to solicit ideas on how to best structure the network and the institutes. Workshop sessions will focus on:



•    Technologies with broad impact

•    Institute structure and governance

•    Strategies for sustainable institute operations

•    Workforce education and development