NIST MEP E-Blast: December 18, 2015

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) sent this bulletin at 12/18/2015 11:01 AM EST

The very latest news and opportunities from the NIST MEP - Making an impact on U.S. Manufacturing

December 18, 2015 - View this as a web page - View eblast from December 11, 2015

In This Issue:

Happy Holidays
MEP State Partnership Support Project
Seeking Comments for Cybersecurity Framework
Reporting Changes Webinar
MEP In the News
MEP and Manufacturing Events

Happy Holidays

We would like to take this opportunity to wish you and your family a warm and happy holiday season. Thank you for all your support in 2015, and we look forward to another year dedicated to helping U.S. Manufacturers thrive and succeed. This will be the last weekly e-blast issued in calendar year 2015. Look for the next one to come on Friday, January 8, 2016. We hope you enjoy some winter festivities and we’ll see you again in 2016.

Federal Funding Opportunity: MEP State Partnership Support Project

NIST invites proposals from eligible organizations to provide in-depth collaborative support in developing and advancing stakeholder relationships that are critical to the success of the MEP program, based on the recipient’s expertise and knowledge of State manufacturing and technology agendas.

Anticipated Funding Amounts: NIST anticipates awarding one (1) multiyear cooperative agreement with a five-year (5) period of performance and at a total maximum federal funding amount not to exceed $4.5 million over the entire five-year period of performance.

An Informational Webinar will be held on January 14, 2016 at 3:30 P.M. EST. The webinar will provide overall information about the MEP program, and the funding opportunity. To register, please send your organization and list of participants to mepffo@nist.gov.

To view full Federal Funding Opportunity, click here. Please submit your proposals via www.grants.gov under Funding Opportunity number 2015-NIST-MEP-01. For questions contact mepffo@nist.gov. Applications are due Monday, February 29, 2016.

NIST Seeks Comments on Cybersecurity Framework

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is seeking information on how its voluntary “Framework for Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity” is being used, as well as feedback on possible changes to the Framework and its future management. To learn more, visit the NIST blog post.

Webinar: MEP Process and Reporting Updates

Recording Slides and Webinar Now Available.

On December, 15th NIST MEP hosted a webinar detailing upcoming changes to the NIST MEP Progress Plan Reporting structure and submission timeline. The timing and format of this report will be changing in January 2016 for all base awards. Changes include alignment with the NIST MEP strategy, reporting semi-annually for Progress Plan and Financial Reporting (for most Centers) and some additional financial /budget reporting requirements. The presentation and the webinar recording can be found on MEP Connect (login to MEP Connect, Click Resources, Click NIST MEP Webinars). You can find the direct link here.

A second webinar is scheduled for Jan 6th and will cover Financial Reporting and ASAP. Information on how to attend the webinar in January will be sent out at a later date. For more information please contact Tab Wilkins.

MEP In the News

Growing Manufacturer Dynamic Group Receives Training Grant from Minnesota Job Skills Partnership.

Enterprise Minnesota president and CEO and Vice Chair of the Minnesota Job Skills Partnership (MJSP) board Bob Kill was on hand at a ceremony awarding manufacturer Dynamic Group, Inc. a $250,000 training grant from the MJSP. READ MORE>>

Manufacturer's Edge is awarded $2.5 Million to help build 3-D metals printing infrastructure.

The Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) today announced grantees for the Advanced Industry Accelerator Grant Program. A total of $4,350,000 will be awarded for Infrastructure Grants to support Colorado's advanced industries. READ MORE>>

Supply Chain Management Success.

Congratulations to the students who have completed the NWIRC’s Supply Chain Management Certification Training by the American Production and Inventory Control Society International. READ MORE>>

MDMEP Client Success: Michele's Granola is expanding to meet growing demand.

The owner of Michele's Granola briefly doubted her decision years ago to start her own business — and for good reason. A pricey commercial oven delivered to her new bakery in Curtis Bay was left on the sidewalk. And it was much too big to fit through the front door. READ MORE>>

CONNSTEP Helping Manufacturers Hit Their Targets in 2016.

CONNSTEP

CONNSTEP has created an educational offering that helps manufacturers assess what prevents them from growing and provides training and personalized guidance on how to eliminate those growth barriers and increase their sales and revenues. READ MORE>>

Custom Turning Achieves ISO 9001:2008 Certification.

Enterprise Minnesota along with state and federal legislative officials were on hand at an event celebrating the manufacturer Custom Turning’s recent attainment of ISO 9001:2008 Certification. READ MORE>>

Leaders Radogno and Durkin engage local companies at IMEC Manufacturing Round Table.

IMEC and Fusion OEM hosted the state legislators and a group of local manufacturing representatives to discuss the opportunities, challenges and priorities of manufacturing leaders in the region. READ MORE>>

MEP Events

** Three new events added***

January 12-14, 2016: Supply Chain

Optimization Train the Trainer

The MEP SCO initiative is delivering hands-on learning sessions for MEP center staff at locations across the U.S.

Track One - Supply Chain Optimization Tools

Feb 2-3: Columbus, OH

Track Two - Developing and Deploying a Supply Chain Strategy

Jan 12-14: Los Angeles, CA
Feb 9-11: Austin, TX

Contact: Amy Fitzgerald for more information.

NEW!!! January 14, 2016: Webinar on Ultraviolet & Electron Beam Technologies

Energy curable technologies have grown tremendously since the beginning of the 1970s.
This webinar will offer an introduction to energy curing processes, the industries that use the technology, including its application in additive manufacturing and 3D printing, environmental and sustainability aspects, and the manufacturing potential.

Webinar Link | Meeting Number: 739 405 415 | Dial In: 866-218-2764 | Conference Code: 540 370 2466. Contact Ben Vickery with questions.

January 25-28, 2016: Applied Lean Leadership Conference (Event Link)

Tupelo, MS

This conference will feature internationally recognized and proven lean leaders who have what it takes to create and sustain a lean culture.

NEW!!! January 27, 2016 at 11:00 A.M.: FuzeHub Webinar - How High Performance Computing Helped Companies Win SBIR/STTR Funding (Webinar Link)

Hear directly from manufacturers who have successfully won SBIR/STTR funding leveraging High Performance Computing for specific engineering applications from around New York State.

February 17-19, 2016: 2nd Annual Toyota Kata Summit in Hollywood, FL

A special half day for interested MEP centers on exploring distinctive practices will be held on February 17th. In addition Mike Rother, author of Toyota Kata, has also extended an invitation to any MEP center representative to participate in the Kata Geek Meetup.