| Under
Secretary of Commerce for Technology Phillip J. Bond and Deputy
Under Secretary of Defense for Advanced Systems and Concepts
Sue Payton have signed a
five-year Memorandum of Understanding (.pdf;
download Acrobat Reader) to stimulate
job growth and technology transfer in the manufacturing sector.
The agreement will help small manufacturers tap into DoD technologies
and expertise through the Manufacturing
Extension Partnership (MEP), a program of the Commerce
Department’s Technology
Administration (TA). MEP is a nationwide network of resources
managed by TA’s National
Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) helping small
manufacturers become more competitive.
“The
President has long underscored that strong national security
provides for strong economic security. With this agreement,
DoD can now tap into the unique resources of the national
MEP network to protect our country,” said Bond. “By
developing synergies in defense programs, our manufacturing
sector will have greater economic opportunities for development
and expansion,” he said.
Potential
projects covered in the MOU include:
- Using
the national MEP network of centers to help accelerate the
transfer of technologies and technical expertise from DoD
to manufacturers to reduce costs, increase the warfighter
supplier base, expand direct relationships with smaller
manufacturers, and grow awareness of DoD technologies;
- Identifying
geographic concentrations of defense manufacturers to assess
the specific needs of the marketplace as they relate to
urgent defense needs;
- Assessing
critical manufacturing processes for defense production
capabilities; and
- Supporting
the development and deployment of a set of specific defense
performance-based standards for high-tech defense manufacturing
processes and supply chain interactions.
Other
areas likely to be addressed under the MOU are workforce training
and supply chain rapid response.
A copy
of the MOU is available at http://www.nist.gov/public_affairs/releases/DODDOCMOUSigned1.pdf
(.pdf;
download Acrobat Reader)
 Go
back to NIST News Page
See
also: A-Z Subject Index, NIST
Home Page
Created:
06/09//04
Last
updated:
06/09/2004
Contact: inquiries@nist.gov
|
