The Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) is a catalyst for strengthening American manufacturing – accelerating its ongoing transformation into a more efficient and powerful engine of innovation driving economic growth and job creation.

New IP Awareness Assessment Tool

The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) today unveiled a new web-based IP Awareness Assessment Tool designed to help manufacturers, small businesses, entrepreneurs and independent inventors easily assess their knowledge of intellectual property IP... learn more

Federal Funding Opportunity - BCTEP Program

NIST invites proposals from eligible proposers to fund projects under a new pilot Building Construction Technology Extension Program (BCTEP). The pilot program will address increasing energy efficiency in commercial and industrial building operations. The pilot program will focus on “re-tuning,” which is a systematic semi-automated process of identifying operational problems in commercial and industrial buildings... learn more

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Finding the Right Fit: Small Companies and Banks
05/21/2012

American manufacturers are saying that business is booming, but many of them also say that banks aren’t keen to provide the loans necessary to hire more workers, buy new equipment, and ramp up production. According to Biz2credit, a New York firm that matches borrowers with lenders, a recent analysis found that loan approvals at large banks (those with $10 billion plus in assets) fell in April for the second straight month... Continue Reading

Manufacturing Innovation 2012: A Recap of the Year's Top MEP & Manufacturing Conference
05/18/2012

The spirit of American manufacturing was alive and well all throughout Manufacturing Innovation 2012 in Orlando, Florida. From May 5th until May 9th more than 800 MEP Center staff members, manufacturers and industry professionals gathered from all around the nation to learn about innovation and celebrate the progress of our sector... Continue Reading