Partnership Agreements

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NIST MEP's partnerships with federal agencies are formalized through the execution of Memorandums of Understanding (MOU) and Memorandums of Agreement (MOA). Such agreements build and maintain relationships, enable leveraging of resources and provide for channels of communication amongst agencies. Each agreement is unique in terms of the details outlining the specific nature of the partnership. NIST MEP has executed these agreements with a variety of federal agencies.

NIST MEP has posted the MOUs and MOAs to be transparent about our partnerships, and to share information about the nature of the agreements to facilitate development of state- and local-level agreements that complement the MOUs and MOAs already in place. This list will be kept current with updated information on the status of these agreements.

MOUs and MOAs:

• Strengthen and determine the scope of the partnership
• Are utilized by MEP Centers to strengthen and expand their relationships with their regional federal agencies
• May be used by MEP Centers to provide a platform for discussions with state and local partners.

U.S. Department of Energy
The purpose of this MOU is to identify a framework for cooperation and partnership between the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Department of Commerce (DOC). This partnership will strengthen the coordination of and amplify existing efforts dedicated to advancing the Administration's goal of accelerating the commercialization of Federally funded research and development (R&D), enhancing the diffusion of energy technology and advanced manufacturing technologies, and fostering economic growth.

Department of Defense
This MOU constitutes an agreement between the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Manufacturing and Industrial Base Policy (DASD-MIBP); and the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) to provide an overarching framework to identify opportunities for synergy and collaboration among the programmatic efforts of the DOD, the DOD-led IMIs, and NIST MEP.