2022 Grant Awardees
On September 23, 2022, the Department of Defense announced the award of six (6) grants totaling approximately $30 million under the Defense Manufacturing Community Support Program by the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation. These awards followed a competitive selection process culminating in the designation of these communities as “Defense Manufacturing Communities” by Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, Dr. William A. LaPlante on August 16, 2022.
The awards derive from Fiscal Year 2022 appropriated funding and leverage an additional $9,570,929 million in non-Federal funds for a total investment of $39,314,390 million to make long-term investments in critical skills, facilities, workforce development, research and development, and small business support in order to strengthen the national security innovation base.
Click here to view an infographic featuring our DMCSP FY22 grant awardees.
The grant awards are as follows:
Mississippi-Shipbuilding Industry Preparedness for National Security
State: MS
Mississippi Department of Employment Security
Primary Focus: Shipbuilding
$4,999,634 to the Mississippi Department of Employment Security-led Mississippi-Shipbuilding Industry Preparedness for National Security Consortium to undertake a $6,694,579 project to bolster national security by modernizing Mississippi’s shipbuilding industry by enhancing sector capacity, capability, competitiveness, and resiliency. The project will create a skilled and diverse talent pipeline for the region's shipbuilding industry, accelerate adoption of Industry 4.0 manufacturing practices in the shipbuilding supply chain, and develop advanced solutions designed to enhance worker safety. Consortium members will implement regionally-tailored strategies in support of each goal, ensuring partners have a broad reach and a lasting impact.
Illinois Defense Manufacturing Consortium
State: IL
The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois
Primary Focus: Castings and Forgings, Energy Storage
$5,000,000 to the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois-led Illinois Defense Manufacturing Consortium (ILDMC) to undertake a $6,603,250 project to launch a Casting, Forging, and Energy Storage Center of Excellence to introduce new offerings, comprehensive solutions, innovative manufacturing technologies, and state-of-the-art workforce training modules targeting underrepresented populations. The ILDMC will ensure that the casting and forging industry is more productive, innovative, and focused on Department of Defense needs.
Rhode Island Manufacturing to Accelerate the Defense Ecosystem
State: RI
University of Rhode Island Research Foundation
Primary Focus: Shipbuilding
$5,000,000 to the University of Rhode Island Research Foundation-led Rhode Island Manufacturing to Accelerate the Defense Ecosystem Consortium to undertake a $6,500,000 project to address weaknesses in the maritime defense industrial base through strengthening workforce training or retraining or recruitment and retention, and expanding small business assistance to support automation, robotics, and cyber resiliency. The project will provide intensive technical assistance to a minimum of 25 small businesses, educate and train 675 students and workers using Manufacturing Innovation Institute enhanced offerings, and launch an innovative Education to Assessment model to enhance assessment capability and supplier matching for Department of Defense supply chain companies.
New Jersey Defense Manufacturing Community
State: NJ
New Jersey Manufacturing Extension Program, Inc.
Primary Focus: Missiles and Munitions, Castings and Forgings, Microelectronics
$5,000,000 to the New Jersey Manufacturing Extension Program, Inc.-led New Jersey Defense Manufacturing Community Consortium to undertake a $6,500,000 project to support Picatinny Arsenal’s Joint Center of Excellence for Guns and Ammunition to fill key advanced manufacturing technology needs and to create transition opportunities for new defense technologies. The project will support ecosystem capacity building in technology-driven market intelligence and focus on workforce training, retraining, or recruitment and retention, including that of women, underrepresented minorities, and veterans, military personnel, and their family members, transitioning into manufacturing careers.
Supply Chains of Recovered Elements Consortium
States: MI, OH, PA, WI, WV
SAE Government Technologies
Primary Focus: Critical Minerals
$4,743,827 to SAE Government Technologies-led Supply Chain of Recovered Elements Consortium (SCORE) to undertake a $6,316,561 project to accelerate the development of domestic manufacturing supply chains for critical minerals by engaging in parallel development with organizations across upstream and downstream segments, achieving commercial capacities in a matter of years, not decades. Through the implementation of new modular, advanced, and highly selective separation technologies, SCORE will utilize mine and industrial waste to build a fully capable domestic supply chain and trained workforce that requires no new mining and no foreign processing. The first focus of SCORE will be the extraction of scandium and integration into the aluminum alloys supply chain, supporting domestic manufacturing through castings, welding, and additive (3D printing) pathways. SCORE will achieve a sustainable manufacturing supply chain within three years in the five-state region of Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Michigan, and Wisconsin.
Microelectronics Precision Rapid Innovation and Scaling Manufacturing Network
State: TX
The University of Texas at Austin
Primary Focus: Microelectronics
$5,000,000 to the University of Texas at Austin-led Microelectronics Precision Rapid Innovation and Scaling Manufacturing Network Consortium to undertake a $6,700,000 project to provide accelerated processes for advanced microelectronics research and commercialization, business incubation and acceleration, services to small businesses and supply chain development with new levels of integration and sustainability, in a region that encompasses some of the nation’s leading semiconductor and defense industry assets and skilled workforce.
2021 Grant Awardees
On September 22, 2021, the Department of Defense announced the award of five (5) grants totaling approximately $25 million under the Defense Manufacturing Community Support Program by the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation. These awards followed a competitive selection process culminating in the designation of these communities as “Defense Manufacturing Communities” by Mr. Gregory M. Kausner, Performing the Duties of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment on August 11, 2021. The awards originate from Fiscal Year 2021 appropriated funding and leverage an additional $11.7 million in non-Federal funds for a total investment of $36.7 million for long-term investment in critical skills, facilities, workforce development, research and development, and small business support in order to strengthen the national security innovation base.
The grant awards are as follows:
1. Commonwealth of Virginia Office of Veterans and Defense Affairs
State: VA
Maritime Industries Talent Development
$5 million to the Commonwealth of Virginia, Office of Veterans and Defense Affairs-led Defense Manufacturing Consortia to undertake a $7,045,113 project to recruit, train and modernize the Commonwealth’s maritime workforce. The goal of the Virginia Maritime Industrial Base Consortium is to increase manufacturing capacity, capability, resiliency, and diversity in the maritime industrial base by creating a cross-region K-12 to university training pipeline for skilled workers and manufacturing engineers to support the Navy’s sustainment and shipbuilding needs.
2. North Carolina State University - Industry Expansion Solutions
State: NC
Smart Textiles and Wearables
$5 million to the North Carolina State University Industry Expansion Solutions-led Defense Manufacturing Consortia to undertake a $7,466,588 project in the area of advanced textiles/autonomous wearables and implement a strategy to address immediate ramp-up needs as businesses transition out of COVID-19 restricted operations to longer-term technological opportunities.
3. Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station
State: TX
Defense Workforce and Supply Chain Development
$4.99 million to the Texas Engineering Experiment Station-led Defense Manufacturing Community Consortia to undertake a $6,947,453 project to inject targeted Smart Manufacturing skills and technologies into the diverse manufacturing portfolio of the Texas defense aerospace manufacturing ecosystem. The consortium intends to deliver outcomes in the areas of workforce development; structured networking & supply chain development; policy & economic development; and research & infrastructure.
4. University of Tennessee at Knoxville
State: TN
Advanced Machine Tooling
$5 million to the University of Tennessee at Knoxville-led Defense Manufacturing Community Consortia to undertake an $8,624,399 project to address next-generation machine tools and smart manufacturing processes; create an education and training pipeline to recruit and prepare the future workforce needed to operate these new technologies; and integrate academic, government, and corporate partners to translate these advances into industry leadership and economic impact.
5. Wichita State University, National Institute for Aviation Research
State: KS
Prototyping
$5 million to the Wichita State University National Institute for Aviation Research-led Defense Manufacturing Community Consortia to undertake a $6,576,590 project to expand capabilities, processes, sustainment planning, workforce, and engineering competencies to prototype development for weapon system parts and assemblies.
2020 Grant Awardees
On September 17, 2020, the Department of Defense announced the award of six (6) grants totaling $25,000,000. These awards followed a competitive selection process culminating in the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment’s designation of six Defense Manufacturing Communities on August 16, 2020, and for the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation to invite grant applications to strengthen the national security innovation base. The awards derive from Fiscal Year 2020 appropriated funding and leverage an additional $12.6 million in non-Federal funding for a total investment of $37.6 million to enhance critical skills, research and development, and small business support in order to strengthen the national security innovation and manufacturing base.
The grant awards were as follows:
1. The Artificial Intelligence in Metals and Manufacturing Consortium
State: PA/WV/OH
Artificial Intelligence for Additive Manufacturing
$5,000,000 to Catalyst Connection to undertake a $6,250,000 project to strengthen defense manufacturing capabilities through an industrial production ecosystem that melds advanced metals and materials with artificial intelligence, additive manufacturing, and robotics. The Artificial Intelligence in Metals and Manufacturing Consortium will involve 30 entities across the Pennsylvania-West Virginia-Ohio region and build on existing manufacturing collaborations in order to upskill the regional workforce, familiarize manufacturers with new technologies, and spur innovation in these specialized sectors.
2. Ohio Defense Manufacturing Community
State: OH
Ground and Air Vehicle Parts/Assemblies
$5,000,000 to the Ohio Development Services Agency to undertake a $6,250,000 project through the Ohio Defense Manufacturing Community to offer Industry 4.0 technical assistance and workforce training for small- and mid-sized defense manufacturers, with a focus on the aerospace and ground vehicle sectors. This project will include leveraging the state’s existing Manufacturing Extension Partnerships and establishing new collaborations with educational facilities statewide in developing the Industry 4.0 workforce of the future.
3. Utah Defense Manufacturing Community
State: UT
Aerospace, Composites
$5,000,000 to the Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Development to undertake a $11,005,000 project to enhance the capabilities of the regional defense industrial ecosystem, with a focus on carbon composites and advanced materials. The project will include several initiatives to strengthen workforce development across the Utah Defense Manufacturing Community, including developing defense manufacturing apprenticeship programs and retraining workers displaced as a result of COVID-19.
4. California Advanced Defense Ecosystems & National Consortia Effort
State: CA
Microelectronics, Space, 5G
$4,900,000 to the California Governor’s Office of Planning and Research to undertake a $6,173,962 project to facilitate the California Advanced Defense Ecosystems & National Consortia Effort and enhance defense manufacturing in the state, particularly in the areas of microelectronics, 5G, and space. This effort will assist small- and mid-sized manufacturers develop a workforce capable of assessing opportunities and threats in these converging technology platforms.
5. Alabama Defense Advanced Manufacturing Community
State: AL
Modernization of Vehicles, Aviation and Missiles
$3,700,000 to the University of Alabama in Huntsville to undertake a $6,171,074 project to facilitate visibility, workforce training, and adoption of advanced manufacturing technologies in the region, with a focus on aviation, missiles, and ground vehicle systems. The Alabama Defense Advanced Manufacturing Community includes 22 counties in collaboration with several military installations with operations utilizing advanced manufacturing technologies, including Redstone Arsenal, Anniston Army Depot, Fort Rucker, and Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base.
6. The Connecticut Defense Manufacturing Community Consortium
State: CT
Submarines, Vertical Lift
$1,400,000 to the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development to undertake a $1,750,000 project to enhance in-state defense prime vertical supply chains and bring Model Based Definition technology to each, in an effort to transform the supply chain from a 2-dimensional design and manufacturing platform to a 3-dimensional platform. The technology and processes developed through the Digital Model Initiative will provide a foundation for subsequent digital transformation initiatives in the defense manufacturing supply base.