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October State Competition Kick-Off conference to provide an overview for MEP Center Directors and financial staff focused on understanding of the programmatic and management oversight requirements of the new cooperative agreements.
Agenda
Day 1 Leadership Program Direction and Award Stewardship
Tuesday, October 20, 2026 | 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. EST
Time | Session | Purpose and Lead |
| 8:15-8:55 | Arrival and Registration | Campus entry, badging, materials, and seating. Bryana Head/MEP Event Team |
| 9:00-9:15 | Welcome and Objectives | Opening, safety and logistics, meeting outcomes, and review of the 2.5-day program. Bryana Head |
| 9:15-9:35 | NIST Leadership Welcome | NIST Director: NIST mission, measurement science, standards, technology, and expectations for national impact. Arvind Raman, Ph.D. |
| 9:35 - 9:55 | Innovation and Industry Priorities | Acting Associate Director for Innovation and Industry Services: alignment with DOC, NIST, and industrial competitiveness priorities. Eric Lin |
| 9:55-10:15 | MEP Program Direction and Award Execution | Acting MEP Director/Deputy: where the program is headed, the MEP National Network's role, and what Year 1 success looks like. Nagesh Rao |
| 10:15 - 10:30 | Break | |
| 10:30-11:15 | NOFO Goals and Objectives | Program leadership briefing on sector focus, technology adoption, ecosystem investment, financing, workforce, and network partnership. Nagesh Rao/Mellissa Ayala |
| 11:15-12:00 | Center Introductions | Two-minute introduction from each Center: priority sectors, principal technology focus, and one first-year opportunity or risk. Bryana Head |
| 12:00-1:00 | Lunch | |
| 1:00-2:00 | Cooperative Agreement Administration | Grants Officer: Notice of Award, terms and conditions, prior approvals, cost allowability, cost share, subawards, program income, and award modifications. Mike Teske/Financial Assistance Agreements Management Office (FAAMO) |
| 2:00-2:45 | OIG Briefing | DOC Office of Inspector General: fraud, waste, and abuse prevention; internal controls; records; conflicts; procurement; reporting concerns; and audit readiness. DOC OIG Representative |
| 2:45-3:00 | Break |
|
| 3:00-3:40 | Your Federal Support Team | Clarify the complementary roles of the Federal Program Manager, Grants Specialist, Grants Officer, and Center leadership, including escalation and communication pathways. Mellissa Ayala/Nadine DeJesus/FPMs/FAAMO GMSs |
| 3:40-4:20 | Boards: Oversight Boards and Advisory Boards | Oversight or advisory board requirements, 90-day establishment deadline where applicable, core management functions, conflicts of interest, and required organizational documents. Nadine DeJesus |
| 4:20-5:00 | Day 1 Synthesis | Questions, key decisions, and a preview of technical sessions. Bryana Head/Mellissa Ayala |
Day 2 Technology Adoption NIST Capabilities and Center Consultations
Wednesday, October 21, 2026 | 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. EST
Time | Session | Purpose and Lead |
| 9:00-9:15 | Day 2 Opening | Review of technical objectives, tour protocols, group assignments, and Center Discussion schedule. Bryana Head |
| 9:15-9:55 | NIST Capabilities for SMM Adoption | Engineering Laboratory lead with a cross-laboratory perspective: moving measurement science, standards, test methods, and research outputs into practical manufacturing adoption. Engineering Lab Lead-TBD |
| 9:55-10:45 | Laboratory Lightning Briefings | EL robotics and smart manufacturing; ITL AI and cybersecurity; CTL industrial wireless; MML advanced materials and biotechnology; PML precision and process metrology. Six to eight minutes each plus questions. Participating EL/ITL/CTL/MML/PML Representatives |
| 10:45-11:00 | Break | |
| 12:30-1:30 | Lunch | |
| 1:30-4:40 | Center Meetings with FPM and Grants Management Specialist | Provide each Center with dedicated time to meet with its assigned FPM and Grants Management Specialist to review initial drafts of the Operating Outcome Plan and budget, discuss the cost-share approach and applicable award conditions or risks, and receive real-time NIST MEP feedback to support timely completion of Special Award Conditions. Assigned FPM + FAAMO Grants Management Specialist; overall coordination Mellissa Ayala |
| 1:30-4:40 | Parallel Implementation Clinics | Clinics repeat during blocks: industrial ecosystem mapping; technology adoption barriers and solutions; performance measures; workforce and financing partners; and MEP National Network collaboration. Topic-specific MEP Leads from Divisions 482 and 483 |
| 4:40-5:00 | Plenary Themes and Follow-Up | The Federal team shares common themes without disclosing Center-sensitive information; confirm action owners and any unresolved items. Topic-specific MEP Leads |
Day 3 Performance Reporting and First 90 Days
Thursday, October 22, 2026 | 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. EST
Time | Session | Purpose and Lead |
| 9:00-9:15 | Day 3 Opening | Recap key takeaways from Days 1 and 2, address outstanding questions, and preview Day 3 priorities focused on performance, reporting, and early award implementation. Bryana Head/Mellissa Ayala |
| 9:15-10:00 | Performance Measurement and Management | Translate approved project objectives and performance measures into Year 1 implementation; review milestones, quantitative technology-adoption measures, internal evaluation, client outcomes, and management reviews. Nico Thomas |
| 10:00-10:40 | Reporting Calendar and data Quality | Semiannual technical and financial reports, final reports, other applicable reports, documentation standards, data stewardship, and roles for timely and accurate submission. Nico Thomas |
| 10:40-10:55 | Break |
|
| 10:55-11:35 | Financial Readiness and Cost Share | Annual 50 percent non-Federal cost share, allowability and allocability, accounting systems, program income, subrecipient monitoring, and reconciliation practices. Mike Teske/FAAMO |
| 11:35-12:05 | MEP National Network Collaboration | How Centers exchange expertise, disseminate project learning, connect manufacturers to national resources, and participate in network-wide meetings. Jyoti Malhotra and 2-3 Existing MEP Center Directors |
| 12:05-12:40 | First 90-day Action Planning | Center teams finalize actions for governance, staffing, partners, sector mapping, delivery launch, financial controls, performance measures, and communications with the Federal team. Confirm key deliverables, due dates, points of contact, and follow-up actions. Nadine DeJesus, Assigned FPMs with each Center, overall lead Mellissa Ayala |
| 12:40-1:00 | Commitments and Close | Reinforce key expectations, recognize the start of the new Centers’ partnership with the MEP National Network, and provide final leadership remarks. Jyoti Malhotra and Nagesh Rao |
Security Instructions
Visitor Access Requirement:
- For Non-US Citizens: Please have your valid/non-expired passport for photo identification.*
- For US Permanent Residents: Please have your valid/non-expired green card for photo identification.*
- For US Citizens: Please have your valid/non-expired state-issued driver's license. NIST will only accept a REAL ID-compliant form of identification. Visitors with state-issued identification must now present a REAL ID or a different form of government-issued photo identification, such as: a valid/non-expired passport, passport card, DOD's Common Access Card (CAC), Veterans ID, Federal Agency HSPD-12 IDs, and Military Dependents ID.*
*Use of apps, physical photocopies, and/or digital screenshots of your ID, Passport or Green card will not be accepted.
Failure to show proper valid and compliant/non-expired photo identification upon check-in will result in denied entry into the facility.
For more information please visit our Campus Access and Security page.