§278r Collaborative Manufacturing Research Pilot Grants

Summary

Creates a pilot grant program run by the Director to fund partnerships that do real-world research to make U.S. manufacturing better. Awards are chosen by peer review in a competition. Each partnership must include at least one manufacturing industry partner and one nonindustry partner. Partners can include firms, colleges, research centers, state agencies, and nonprofits. Grants must support applied work to create new manufacturing processes, techniques, or materials that boost performance, productivity, and U.S. competitiveness, and help partners form lasting collaborations. Grants can pay no more than one-third of a project’s cost. No more than another one-third may come from other federal sources. Applications must explain how each partner will take part, what research the grant would fund, and how that work will improve U.S. manufacturing. The Director will pick projects based on likely broad impact, scientific and technical merit, and the applicants’ ability to do the work. The Director should, when possible, spread awards across different manufacturing sectors and firm sizes. There will be one pilot competition and each award lasts 3 years.