[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 231 (Friday, November 30, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 71399-71400]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-29042]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Institute of Standards and Technology


Notice of Public Workshop: Blueprint for Action: Workshop on the 
Design of the National Network for Manufacturing Innovation (NNMI)

AGENCY: 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 workshop in a new series of public workshops 
entitled ``Blueprint for Action: Workshop on the Design of the National 
Network for Manufacturing Innovation (NNMI).'' This workshop series 
provides a forum for the AMNPO to present the proposed design of the 
National Network for Manufacturing Innovation and its regional 
components, Institutes for Manufacturing Innovation (IMIs), for public 
discussion of the proposed NNMI and IMI design, and for public 
discussion of this initiative, announced by President Obama on March 9, 
2012.\1\ The first workshop will focus on an update on the NNMI program 
proposed by the President; a review of the public comments received by 
the AMNPO in response to the May 4, 2012 Request for Information (RFI) 
on the proposed NNMI; a review of the proposed NNMI design and 
discussion of that design; and anticipated next steps.
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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 ``Blueprint for Action'' workshop series is organized by the 
federal interagency AMNPO, in cooperation with stakeholders and local 
organizations. AMNPO partner agencies include Department of Commerce, 
NIST, Department of Defense, Department of Education, Department of 
Energy's Advanced Manufacturing Office, Department of Labor, National 
Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and National Science 
Foundation.

DATES: The first public workshop in this series will be held on 
Wednesday, January 16, 2013 from 8:30 a.m. until approximately 5:00 
p.m. Eastern time. Event check-in will begin at approximately 7:30 a.m. 
Eastern time. Please see registration information in the SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION section below.

ADDRESSES: This public workshop will be held at the U.S. Space and 
Rocket Center, Davidson Center for Space Exploration, One Tranquility 
Base, Huntsville, Alabama 35805 (1-800-637-7223).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michael Schen, (301) 975-6741, 
[email protected]; Steven Schmid, (301) 975-8652, 
[email protected]; or Adele Ratcliff, (571) 372-6240, 
[email protected]. Additional information may also be found at: 
http://manufacturing.gov/event_011613.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/event_011613.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. Eastern 
time, Monday, January 7, 2013 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/event_011613.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.
    On December 15, 2011, Commerce Secretary John Bryson announced the 
establishment of a national program office within the Department of 
Commerce to coordinate and help implement the President's advanced

[[Page 71400]]

manufacturing partnership.\2\ The AMNPO, hosted by NIST, 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 national 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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    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 (77 FR 26509) 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 were due on or before 11:59 p.m. Eastern time on October 25, 2012. 
All comments received in response to the RFI are available online at 
http://www.manufacturing.gov/rfi_responses.html.
    The AMNPO has previously held four NNMI workshops as part of its 
strategy for soliciting nation-wide input on building the NNMI in 
alignment with the published RFI. The first workshop was held on April 
25, 2012, at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York, the 
second on July 9, 2012 at Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland, 
Ohio, the third on September 27, 2012 at the Arnold and Mabel Beckman 
Center of the National Academies of Sciences and Engineering in Irvine, 
California, and the fourth on October 18, 2012 at the Millennium 
Harvest House in Boulder, Colorado.
    Announcements of additional workshops may be found at: http://www.manufacturing.gov/events.html. Future workshops will also be 
announced in the Federal Register.

    Dated: November 26, 2012.
Phillip Singerman,
Associate Director for Innovation and Industry Services.
[FR Doc. 2012-29042 Filed 11-29-12; 8:45 am]
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