[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 64 (Tuesday, April 3, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20010-20011]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-7981]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Institute of Standards and Technology


 Notice of Public Workshop: ``Designing for Impact: Workshop on 
Building the National Network for Manufacturing Innovation''

AGENCY: Advanced Manufacturing National Program Office, National 
Institute of Standards and Technology, Department of Commerce.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Advanced Manufacturing National Program Office (AMNPO), 
housed at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), 
announces the first of a series of public workshops entitled 
``Designing for Impact: Workshop on Building the National Network for 
Manufacturing Innovation.'' The workshops will provide a forum for the 
AMPNO to introduce the National Network for Manufacturing Innovation 
(NNMI) and its regional components, Institutes for Manufacturing 
Innovation (IMIs). The workshops will also provide a forum for public 
discussion of this new initiative, which President Obama announced on 
March 9, 2012. The discussion will focus on the following topics: 
Technologies with Broad Impact, Institute Structure and Governance, 
Strategies for Sustainable Institute Operations, and Education and 
Workforce Development.

DATES: The public workshop will be held on Wednesday, April 25, 2012

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from 8 a.m. until 3 p.m. Eastern time. On-line registration for the 
workshop will close at 5 p.m. Eastern time on Friday, April 20, 2012.

ADDRESSES: The public workshop will be held at The Curtis R. Priem 
Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center (EMPAC); Rensselaer 
Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, 12180. EMPAC is located at the corner 
of 8th Street and College Avenue, in Troy, NY. Members of the public 
wishing to attend the public workshop may register online at: http://events.energetics.com/AMNPOimpact.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Michael Schen at 301-975-6741 or 
by email at [email protected]; or Jacqueline Calhoun at 301-975-
2555 or by email at [email protected]. Additional information 
may be found at: See http://www.manufacturing.gov/amp/event_042512.html for further details.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

    Legal Authority:  15 U.S.C. 272(b)(1).

    The proposed NNMI initiative focuses on strengthening and ensuring 
the long-term competitiveness and job-creating power of U.S. 
manufacturing. The constituent IMIs will bring together industry, 
universities and community colleges, federal agencies, and U.S. states 
to accelerate innovation by investing in industrially-relevant 
manufacturing technologies with broad applications to bridge the gap 
between basic research and product development, provide shared assets 
to help companies--particularly small manufacturers--access cutting-
edge capabilities and equipment, and create an unparalleled environment 
to educate and train students and workers in advanced manufacturing 
skills. The President's proposed FY 2013 budget includes $1 billion for 
this proposed initiative.
    Each IMI will serve as a regional hub of manufacturing excellence, 
providing the innovation infrastructure to support regional 
manufacturing and ensuring that our manufacturing sector is a key 
pillar in an economy that is built to last. Each IMI also will have a 
well-defined technology focus to address industrially-relevant 
manufacturing challenges on a large scale and to provide the 
capabilities and facilities required to reduce the cost and risk of 
commercializing new technologies.
    In his announcement, President Obama proposed building a national 
network consisting of up to 15 IMIs.
    Individuals planning to attend the public workshop must 
preregister. See registration information in the DATES and ADDRESSES 
sections above.
    See the link below for the announcements of additional workshops:
    See http://www.manufacturing.gov/amp/ampevents.html.
    Future workshops will also be announced in the Federal Register.
    In the near future, the AMNPO plans to issue a Request for 
Information (RFI), seeking public comment on specific questions related 
to the structure and operations of the NNMI and IMIs. The RFI will be 
published in the Federal Register.

    Dated: March 28, 2012.
Phillip Singerman,
Associate Director for Innovation and Industry Services.
[FR Doc. 2012-7981 Filed 4-2-12; 8:45 am]
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