[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 162 (Tuesday, August 21, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 50469-50470]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-20535]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Institute of Standards and Technology


Notice of Public Workshop: ``Designing for Impact III: 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 third workshop in a series of public workshops entitled 
``Designing for Impact: Workshop on Building the National Network for 
Manufacturing Innovation.'' This workshop series provides a forum for 
the AMNPO to introduce the National Network for Manufacturing 
Innovation (NNMI) and its regional components, Institutes for 
Manufacturing Innovation (IMIs), and for public discussion of this new 
initiative that was announced by President Obama on March 9, 2012.\1\ 
The discussion at the workshop will focus on the following topics: 
Technologies with Broad Impact, Institute Structure and Governance, 
Strategies for Sustainable Institute Operations, and Education and 
Workforce Development.
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    \1\ http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2012/03/09/remarks-president-manufacturing-and-economy.
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    The Designing for Impact workshop series is organized by the 
federal interagency AMNPO, in cooperation with stakeholders and local 
organizations. AMNPO partner agencies include the Department of 
Commerce, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST); 
Department of Defense; Department of Energy's Advanced Manufacturing 
Office; Department of Labor; National Aeronautics and Space 
Administration (NASA); and National Science Foundation. Local hosts and 
co-organizers for the third workshop event include the National Academy 
of Engineering (NAE), the National Academies of Sciences and 
Engineering's University-Industry

[[Page 50470]]

Research Roundtable (GUIRR) and University-Industry Demonstration 
Partnership (UIDP), the University of California (UC) Irvine, and 
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NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).

DATES: The third public workshop in this series will be held on 
Thursday, September 27, 2012 from 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. Pacific 
time. Event check-in will begin at approximately 9:00 a.m. Pacific 
time. Please see registration information in the SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION section below.

ADDRESSES: The third public workshop in this series will be held at 
Arnold and Mabel Beckman Center of the National Academies of Sciences 
and Engineering, 100 Academy, Irvine, CA 92617.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michael Schen, (301) 975-6741, 
[email protected]; or Steven Schmid, (301) 975-8652, 
[email protected]; or LaNetra Tate, (301) 975-8723, 
[email protected]. Additional information may also be found at: 
http://manufacturing.gov/amp/event_092712.html.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

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

    Members of the public wishing to attend this public workshop are 
encouraged to register in advance and may do so online through the 
event Web site: http://www.manufacturing.gov/amp/event_092712.html. 
Space is limited. Registration will be on a first-come first-served 
basis, with no more than four representatives from the same 
organization accepted. Advance online registration will close at 11:59 
p.m. Pacific time, Tuesday, September 18, 2012, or when all spaces have 
been filled, whichever occurs first. After advance online registration 
closes, registration will be permitted only on a first-come, first-
served basis on the day of the event, on site, should space become 
available. Please check the event Web site, http://www.manufacturing.gov/amp/event_092712.html, for space availability 
information. Early registration is encouraged.
    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 March 9, 2012, announcement, President Obama proposed 
building a national network consisting of up to 15 IMIs.
    On December 15, 2011, Commerce Secretary John Bryson announced the 
AMNPO that is hosted by the NIST.\2\ The AMNPO is charged with 
convening and enabling industry-led, private-public partnerships 
focused on manufacturing innovation and engaging U.S. universities and 
designing and implementing an integrated ``whole of government'' 
advanced manufacturing initiative to facilitate collaboration and 
information sharing across federal agencies.
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    \2\ http://www.commerce.gov/news/press-releases/2011/12/16/commerce-secretary-john-bryson-lays-out-vision-department-commerce.
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    The AMNPO has held two prior Designing for Impact workshops as part 
of its strategy for soliciting nation-wide input on building the NNMI. 
The first workshop was held on April 25, 2012, at Rensselaer 
Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York, and the second on July 9, 
2012, at Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland, Ohio. On May 4, 2012, 
the AMNPO issued a Request for Information (RFI), seeking public 
comment on specific questions related to the structure and operations 
of the NNMI and IMIs. The RFI was published in the Federal Register and 
may be found at: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2012-05-04/pdf/2012-10809.pdf. Comments in response to the RFI are due on or before 11:59 
p.m. Eastern time on October 25, 2012.
    Announcements of additional workshops may be found at: http://www.manufacturing.gov/amp/ampevents.html. Future workshops will also be 
announced in the Federal Register.

    Dated: August 14, 2012.
Phillip Singerman,
Associate Director for Innovation and Industry Services.
[FR Doc. 2012-20535 Filed 8-20-12; 8:45 am]
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