Cooperative Agreement 70NANB19H111

This $5,000,000 Cooperative Agreement award from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Manufacturing Extension Partnership (CFDA 11.611) program seeks to address worker shortages in the manufacturing industry by developing and deploying new approaches to employee retention. The three-year project, led by Kansas Manufacturing Solutions, will involve a six-state MEP center collaboration to create a workforce retention toolkit that includes practical applications of the U.S....

The National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded a $733,058 Cooperative Agreement titled "PIVOTS: RESKILLING EDUCATION VIA ADVANCED MANUFACTURING PRACTICUM" under the NSF Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (CFDA 47.084) program to the University of Cincinnati. This project aims to support the manufacturing industry by providing reskilling and upskilling opportunities in advanced manufacturing technologies to underrepresented populations, including veterans, new Americans, and...

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) awarded a $471,704 Cooperative Agreement under the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (CFDA 11.611) program to the Oklahoma Alliance for Manufacturing Excellence, Inc. (OMA). The purpose of this 18-month project is to create a comprehensive state manufacturing workforce recruitment plan that targets the recruitment and development of a skilled workforce from three underrepresented population groups: Black people, veterans, and...

Federal Grant Award Summary Central Oregon Community College (COCC) received a $2.19M Project Grant from the Department of Education's Office of Postsecondary Education under the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE, CFDA 84.116) program, effective January 1, 2026 through December 31, 2029. The award supports the development of seven new, industry-aligned short-term manufacturing certificates designed to address regional workforce needs in the manufacturing sector. These...

The National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded a $380,000 Project Grant to The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State), under the Computer and Information Science and Engineering program (CFDA 47.070), for a 3-year collaborative research project focused on developing an extended reality (XR) factory simulation to investigate the impact of technological advances on adaptive problem-solving skills and personalized learning in manufacturing education. The project will design and develop a virtual...

This $255,043 National Science Foundation project grant supports the development of a virtual and active learning approach to digital manufacturing education at Georgia Tech. Specifically, the awardee will create a new undergraduate digital manufacturing course for virtual learning environments incorporating active learning approaches. Different types of virtual-based, hands-on learning experiences for manufacturing will be designed and piloted, including virtual training simulators for embedded...

This $520,281 National Science Foundation project grant supports Piedmont Virginia Community College's implementation of a mastery learning model in six core advanced manufacturing courses. The goal is to improve student learning outcomes and increase graduates for the college's Advanced Manufacturing program. Mastery learning will be applied using a flipped classroom approach with hands-on learning for advanced manufacturing technologies. Courses will be structured in modules allowing...

This $296,939 National Science Foundation project grant under the Engineering program (CFDA 47.041) will support the development and validation of a Learning Through Making Instrument (LMI) to measure student learning in university makerspaces. Purdue University will create an initial item pool for the LMI survey tool based on prior research identifying modes of learning in makerspaces. Experts will evaluate the item pool, and the researchers will assess reliability and validity through...

This $500,000 Project Grant award from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) under the Congressionally-Identified Projects program (CFDA 11.617) will enable Lorain County Community College (LCCC) to replace and upgrade outdated equipment used in the college's microelectronic manufacturing (MEMS) degree track and Manufacturing Electronics and Rework Institute for Training (MERIT) laboratory. The upgraded equipment will allow LCCC to expand its capacity for applied,...

Federal Grant Award Summary Rochester Institute of Technology received a $2.49M Project Grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) Engineering program (CFDA 47.041), awarded April 1, 2025, through March 31, 2029. The grant supports research and development of a multi-nozzle molten metal jetting additive manufacturing process designed to produce metal components competitively with traditional casting and machining on the basis of cost, speed, and quality. The technology enables processing...