70NANB26H014

PURPOSE: STRENGTHEN ILLINOIS' MANUFACTURING AND WORKFORCE COMPETITIVENESS BY IMPROVING PRODUCTIVITY, ACCELERATING TECHNOLOGY ADOPTION, ENHANCING OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE, AND STRENGTHENING SUPPLY CHAINS TO DRIVE MEASURABLE ECONOMIC IMPACT FOR ILLINOIS AND THE NATION.KEY ACTIVITIES: IMEC WILL SERVE AS THE FIRST-STOP RESOURCE FOR SMM COMPETITIVENESS AND RESILIENCE, WITH FOCUSED SUPPORT FOR MANUFACTURERS' GROWTH AND MODERNIZATION. CORE ACTIVITIES INCLUDE:DELIVERING TAILORED TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE THROUGH SIX INTEGRATED SOLUTION PILLARS.LEVERAGING ASSESSMENTS, ANALYTICS, EDUCATION, AND APPLIED PROGRAMS STATEWIDE TO ACCELERATE ADOPTION OF TECHNOLOGIES, AI AND DIGITAL TOOLS, CYBERSECURITY, AND WORKFORCE UPSKILLING.CONVENING INDUSTRY, GOVERNMENT, ACADEMIA, AND WORKFORCE PARTNERS TO ALIGN RESOURCES, REDUCE FRAGMENTATION, AND SCALE IMPACT FOR MANUFACTURERS.OUTCOMES: IMEC WILL MAINTAIN A BEST-IN-CLASS MEP CENTER DELIVERING CONSISTENT, VERIFIABLE OUTCOMES ALIGNED WITH NIST MEP PRIORITIES, INCLUDING:HIGH PERFORMANCE IN CLIENT-VALIDATED IMPACTS SUCH AS NEW AND RETAINED SALES, COST SAVINGS, JOBS CREATED AND RETAINED, AND INVESTMENT.EXPANDED MARKET PENETRATION PARTICULARLY AMONG SMALL, RURAL, AND PRIORITY-INDUSTRY MANUFACTURERS.STRENGTHENED MANUFACTURING ECOSYSTEMS, IMPROVED CAREER PATHWAYS, AND INCREASED DEPLOYMENT OF ADVANCED MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGIES.EXEMPLARY GOVERNANCE, CYBERSECURITY, AND FINANCIAL STEWARDSHIP.THESE OUTCOMES DIRECTLY SUPPORT NATIONAL MANUFACTURING COMPETITIVENESS, SUPPLY CHAIN RESILIENCE, AND WORKFORCE READINESS.BENEFICIARIES: PRIMARY BENEFICIARIES INCLUDE ILLINOIS SMMS, REGIONAL AND STATEWIDE MANUFACTURING ECOSYSTEMS, AND WORKFORCE PARTICIPANTS. MANUFACTURERS GAIN IMPROVED PRODUCTIVITY AND COMPETITIVENESS; WORKERS GAIN FUTURE-READY SKILLS AND CAREER PATHWAYS; AND COMMUNITIES BENEFIT FROM SUSTAINED GROWTH.SUBRECIPIENTS: FOUR ILLINOIS UNIVERSITIES WILL SERVE AS SUBRECIPIENTS, CONTRIBUTING APPLIED RESEARCH, FACULTY EXPERTISE, AND STUDENT ENGAGEMENT. UNIVERSITY REPRESENTATIVES SERVE AS NON-VOTING BOARD MEMBERS, PROVIDING STRATEGIC INSIGHT AND ENSURING PROGRAMMATIC ALIGNMENT.

Illinois Manufacturing Excellence Center

TO ESTABLISH AND OPERATE A MEP CENTER IN THE FOLLOWING STATES: IDAHO, ILLINOIS, MINNESOTA, NEW JERSEY, NEW YORK, WASHINGTON, WEST VIRGINIA, AND WISCONSIN. THE MEP CENTERS WILL PROVIDE COMPREHENSIVE MANUFACTURING EXTENSION SERVICES TO SMALL AND MID-SIZED MANUFACTURERS (SMMS) AND WILL BECOME PART OF THE MEP NATIONAL NETWORK.

11.611 - Manufacturing Extension Partnership

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) [DOC]

Peoria, Illinois 61625-0001 United States

Single Zip Code

MEP Center State Competition (2026-NIST-MEP-01)