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The latest Department of Defense-led manufacturing innovation institutes will support cutting-edge research and product development in lightweight and modern metals and digital manufacturing and design. A consortium of 73 companies, nonprofits and universities will help launch the Chicago-based institute. The Detroit-area based consortium involves 60 partners. Earlier this year, North Carolina was selected as the location for the first institute with a focus on next generation power electronics. The president also announced a $70 million Department of Energy-sponsored competition for advanced composites manufacturing – the first of four new competitions to be launched this year. Read the announcement…

The fifth installment of SSTI’s Tech Talkin’ Govs series includes excerpts from speeches delivered in Connecticut, Maine, Oklahoma, and Tennessee. Read part I, part II, part III and part IV.  

In partnership with local manufacturing firms, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) announced that it is accepting applications for the Michigan Advanced Technician Training (MAT²) program — a pilot program for high school seniors that will combine paid work experience with an associate's degree in the field of mechatronics. While gaining paid work experience in the field, students accepted into the three-year MAT² program will have the opportunity to earn an associate's degree at one of two local community colleges paid for by their employer. MAT² participants must agree to remain at the job for at least two years after successful completion of the program. Read the release...

The Obama administration announced winners of the Advanced Manufacturing Jobs and Innovation Accelerator Challenge on Tuesday. The challenge — publicized earlier this year — is one of the key initiatives of the interagency Taskforce for the Advancement of Regional Innovation Clusters and is sponsored by a partnership between the U.S. Department of Commerce, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the Departments of Energy and Labor, and the Small Business Administration. Winners include programs in AZ, CA, MI, OK, TN, NY, PA, and a WA and OR bi-state partnership, each receiving approximately $2 million in grants. See the complete list of challenge winners and their reward amounts here. This is the third in a series of multiagency Jobs and Innovation Accelerator challenges administered since 2011. Learn more...