Manufacturing Extension Partnership Centers Receive NIST Funding to Enhance Supply Chain Resiliency

The National Institute of Standards and Technology has awarded up to $20 million to Manufacturing Extension Partnership Centers in all 50 states and Puerto Rico, with each center receiving roughly $400,000. The funding is part of a pilot program of awards authorized by the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 to allow MEP centers to focus on the resiliency of supply chains and the adoption of advanced technology upgrades among small and medium-sized manufacturers, the NIST said.

The new awards will facilitate the creation of a national supply chain optimization and intelligence network, which will provide supplier scouting services, improve existing supply chain networks and create a complete map of supplier capability and capacity in the United States.

The funding project, which will initially run for two years with the possibility of extension, requires each MEP center to have a dedicated staff every year to support the efforts to improve the supply chain.