America needs a National Network for Manufacturing Innovation.
In perhaps the boldest initiative to revitalize American manufacturing since the 1988 passage of the Omnibus Foreign Trade and Competitiveness Act, the Obama Administration has proposed investing $1 billion―to be matched by private and state funds―to create a National Network for Manufacturing Innovation (NNMI). The Institutes that make up the Network would each focus on a significant, industry-defined innovation challenge. They would be full-service innovation hubs that support user facilities, conduct technology roadmapping, provide education and training, engage with small and medium manufacturers, and carry out applied research, with an emphasis on manufacturing