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Rensselaer To Host First Workshop on Building the National Network for Manufacturing Innovation
Federal Workshop on April 25 To Seek Input,
Field Questions About Proposed National Network for
Manufacturing Innovation (NNMI)
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
on April 25 will host the first of a planned series of regional
workshops to design a proposed $1 billion federal program, the
National Network for Manufacturing Innovation (NNMI).
This inaugural workshop, first in a series to be held across
the nation, provides an opportunity for representatives from
industry, academia, and government to share perspectives, pose
questions, and propose ideas to design the proposed NNMI. The
event will take place at the Curtis R. Priem Experimental
Media and Performing Arts Center (EMPAC) on the Rensselaer
campus in Troy, N.Y.
The NNMI seeks to connect research discoveries and budding
ideas for tomorrow’s technologies and products with the U.S.
manufacturers of today, as well as with the start-ups sprouting
on the technology horizon.
Participation and attendance is encouraged for small,
medium-sized, and large manufacturers, universities and
community colleges, state and local governments, economic
development organizations, and other stakeholders. Seats are
limited and will be reserved on a first-come, first-served
basis. Register for the event at: http://events.energetics.com/AMNPOimpact
“At Rensselaer, we seek to play a major role in building the
national innovation ecosystem through our research and
education in advanced manufacturing. Along with faculty
research, we challenge and empower our students to develop new
technologies, start businesses, sow the seeds of future
economic growth, and—ultimately—change the world. We are proud
to host the nation’s first workshop to discuss the National
Network for Manufacturing Innovation,” said Rensselaer
President Shirley Ann
Jackson.
The workshop is organized by the federal interagency Advanced
Manufacturing National Program Office (AMNPO), in
cooperation with stakeholders and local organizations. The
opening session will acquaint U.S. stakeholders with the
principles and concepts motivating the NNMI, according to the
AMNPO. The public-private national initiative is proposed in
President Barack Obama’s budget for Fiscal Year 2013. The
proposal and budget are still subject to approval by
Congress.
Most of the workshop will be devoted to interactive sessions
designed to solicit ideas on how to best structure the NNMI and
its regional hubs—Institutes for Manufacturing Innovation
(IMIs). The President’s FY 2013 budget requests $1 billion to
create up to 15 IMIs that will bring together industry,
universities and community colleges, federal agencies, and
states to accelerate innovation by investing in industrially
relevant manufacturing technologies with broad
applications.
Input gathered during this and subsequent workshops will
help to shape the vision, goals, and organization of the IMIs
and the entire network.
For more information on the workshop visit: http://manufacturing.gov/amp/event_042512.html
Advanced manufacturing is a key research focus at
Rensselaer, the oldest technological university in the United
States. From robotics to green energy systems,
nanomanufacturing, biomanufacturing, and other leading-edge
fields, Rensselaer students and faculty are focused on
innovative solutions to tomorrow’s manufacturing challenges.
Much of this manufacturing expertise and research resides
within the Rensselaer Center for Automation Technologies and
Systems (CATS).
Since 1988, CATS has worked with partner companies to
leverage the knowledge and expertise of Rensselaer faculty and
students toward solving real-world advanced manufacturing
challenges. CATS is a New York state designated Center for
Advanced Technology and receives annual funding of nearly $1
million from the Empire State Development (ESD)
Division for Science,
Technology and Innovation (NYSTAR). Over the past five
years, CATS has leveraged this investment to help its
industrial partners deliver upward of $259 million in non-job
economic impact, create 293 new jobs, and retain 449 jobs in
New York. More than 80 percent of CATS industrial partners are
small or start-up companies.
“Manufacturing is the foundation of our nation’s well being.
Our focus at the CATS is to help our industrial partners be
more competitive on the global stage, and train our students to
be leaders and innovators in this exciting multidisciplinary
field,” said John T. Wen,
CATS director and a professor in the Department of Electrical,
Computer, and Systems Engineering at Rensselaer.
CATS’ interdisciplinary team of researchers includes nearly
50 Rensselaer faculty members from nine different academic
departments in the School of Engineering, School of Science,
and School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences. More than
40 Rensselaer students participate in CATS research, and the
center employs seven full-time research technical staff and two
postdoctoral researchers.
On April 23-24, CATS at Rensselaer will hold its 2012
Technology Showcase and Conference at the Hilton Garden Inn in
Troy, N.Y. The showcase will highlight the many successes of
CATS and its partner companies and state agencies. To register
or see the full schedule visit: http://www.regonline.com/2012_CATS_Showcase
For more information about advanced manufacturing at
Rensselaer, visit:
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Published
April 17,
2012 |
Contact: Michael Mullaney
Phone: (518) 276-6161
E-mail: mullam@rpi.edu |
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