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NIST in Illinois

$6.5M

from NIST to organizations in the state of Illinois since 2021

NIST Supports Key Sectors in Illinois

Advanced manufacturing

  • In FY 2024, NIST awarded nearly $1 million to Lewis University for semiconductor research equipment and $2 million to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign for semiconductor workforce training programs.
  • Illinois manufacturers rely on NIST reference materials for metals, glass, ceramics, fuels, lubricants, cements, polymers and more to ensure small engineering tolerances and the highest quality control for parts where failure would cause catastrophic losses. 
  • Since FY 2020, the Illinois Manufacturing Excellence Center, part of the NIST Manufacturing Extension Partnership, has received $29 million in federal funds from NIST and over $28 million matched in nonfederal funds to develop Illinois’ current and future manufacturing leaders. 

The Illinois Manufacturing Excellence Center helped K&K Abrasives in Chicago develop a new e-commerce website to expand its market reach. As a result, the company realized $800,000 in new and retained sales. 

Automotive

Food and agriculture

  • NIST’s library of reference materials helps to ensure that foods grown or eaten in the U.S. are safe from contaminants and allergens that could cause illness to consumers. Illinois companies also rely on NIST reference materials to check their test methods and help them comply with the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act. 
  • NIST develops and updates inspection procedures and trains state regulatory officials on how to verify the net contents of packaged foods to protect consumers and businesses and ensure fair trading for grocery stores, restaurants and customers.

Biotechnology, life sciences and health care

  • NIST reference materials help Illinois’ biotechnology industry and innovate more quickly with quantitative analytical measurement tools for nucleic acids, proteins, metabolites and cell systems that manufacturers use to monitor and improve manufacturing methods and products.

  • The NIST Mass Spectrometry Data Center provides data libraries that speed molecule identification and quality control for Illinois’ pharmaceutical industry. This data is so widely trusted that it is packaged with nearly every mass spectrometer sold.   

  • NIST’s calibration materials for magnetic resonance imaging help medical researchers develop quantitative tests that can rapidly determine if treatments for glioblastoma and other cancers are working, speeding clinical decisions. 

CHIPS Funding

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC)

Proposed Funding by Natcast
$2,000,000
Led by The Grainger College of Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, the Illinois Semiconductor Workforce Network (ISWN) will use anticipated funding to address the critical shortage of skilled professionals in the U.S. semiconductor industry.

MEP Success Stories

Southern Illinois Manufacturer Strengthens Culture

Reported Year
2024
With the recent addition of the Hoffman, Illinois site, the leadership team identified the need to obtain feedback from their 17-employee workforce on how they felt about the organization. The timing provided a good opportunity to be transparent about organizational change, and to develop a strong company culture. This desire was to get assistance

Expand and Grow

Reported Year
2023
Advantage Components connected with IMEC, part of the MEP National Network™, back in 2014. ACI and IMEC have worked on a variety of projects together since then, but there was one area yet to be discussed - marketing. While Advantage Components knew the positive impacts marketing could have on their business, they had yet to make a conscious effort

Machine Tool Manufacturer Adopts New Workforce Processes

Reported Year
2021
Institutional knowledge is a risk in any organization. Leadership at Bourn and Koch realized the risks they faced with the lack of well-documented, standardized key steps for their manufacturing build process and an aging workforce. They needed to find a way to continuously transfer knowledge to the next generation of workers. The standard work

News & Updates

Learn how NIST improves the lives of all Americans by conducting research and fostering collaborations that make possible everything from reliable vaccine storage and fair fuel transactions to next-generation MRIs and fair stock trades. Check out NIST Works for You.

Blog Posts

Research Projects

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