Award Competitions to Operate Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) Centers in the States of Alaska, Idaho, Illinois, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Utah, Washington, West Virginia and Wisconsin
Three informational webinars will be conducted for interested parties on March 30th at 2:00 p.m.; April 6th at 2:00 p.m. and April 16th at 1:00 p.m. – all EDT. Proposals are due June 1, 2015.
Background on MEP
Across the country, the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST) Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), a state-federal network of 60 centers and 1,200 manufacturing experts, helps small manufacturers improve their production processes, upgrade their technological capabilities, and bring new products to market. MEP helps small manufacturers compete, increasing employment and investment across the country and generating a high return on public investment.
Every dollar of federal investment in the MEP translates into $19 of new sales for small manufacturers, or almost $2.5 billion annually across the 30,000 small manufacturers that MEP serves. Since it was founded in 1988, MEP has worked with nearly 80,000 manufacturers, leading to $88 billion in sales and $14 billion in cost savings, and helping small manufacturers create more than 729,000 new jobs.
