Advanced Manufacturing vs. COVID-19
Immediately recognizing that advanced manufacturing can contribute to solutions for the pandemic, in March 2020 America Makes developed a plan to team up with the FDA, NIH, and VA and leverage additive manufacturing to fight COVID-19. Other institutes followed with their own projects supporting the nation.
In addition, NIST awarded $12.3 million in grants to five Manufacturing USA institutes to support high-impact projects for pandemic response, with funding authorized by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act signed by the President.
The opportunities extended by the institutes brought together government entities and the private sector to rapidly develop innovative projects that contributed to our nation’s COVID-19 response efforts. These projects:
- Expanded the production of needed medical countermeasures
- Provided workforce training that responded to changing conditions
- Increased testing capacity to track workplace infections
- Helped manufacturers prepare for the future in the face of shifting economic realities
Along with these CARES-funded projects, Manufacturing USA, the manufacturing innovation institutes and the federal agencies that sponsor them — the Departments of Commerce, Defense, and Energy — as well as six additional partner agencies, have committed resources and facilitated coordination among institute members and communities to quickly pivot and augment their programmatic efforts in response to the pandemic crisis.
Here are some highlights from these advanced manufacturing efforts aimed at aiding the United States in its fight against COVID-19.
News
Upcoming Events
External News
With a single example, Ira Moskowitz makes the case for why the organization he leads may be critical for advancing manufacturing in the United States.
Moskowitz, CEO of the Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing (ARM) Institute since June 2020 after decades in private industry, cites the projects ARM has funded for robotic assembly and installation...
Public-private partnership could help coronavirus vaccine developers increase thermal stability, strengthen potency assays and fine-tune adventitious agent testing, among other things.
Sens. Chris Coons, D-Delaware, and Marco Rubio, R-Florida, joined Reps. Haley Stevens, D-Michigan, and Troy Balderson, R-Ohio, in introducing on July 29 the Resilient Manufacturing Task Force Act of 2020, a bipartisan, bicameral bill to help build a stronger, more resilient post-COVID economy.
The bill is cosponsored by Sens. Maggie Hassan, D-New...
The Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) awarded $3.4 million in grants to support “high-impact projects” for Covid-19 pandemic response.
The funding is authorized through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act signed by President Donald Trump in March 2020.
The funding goes to four...
America Makes has received a $1.4 million grant from the United States Department of Commerce’s National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST), announced by United States Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross during a press conference at the America Makes facility in Youngstown, Ohio. The grant will help America Makes continue work to address...
In response to COVID-19, LIFT will provide training in CNC machine operations, industrial technology maintenance, welding, and robotics for separating military personnel.
The manufacturing sector is getting some assistance in helping to reskill/upskill workers impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
On July 8 the Next program of the Lightweight...
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross visited the city Wednesday to announce new funding to support America Makes.
After touring the Youngstown Business Incubator Tech Block Building No. 5 and America Makes – National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute, Ross offered comments about new funding for America Makes’ for its efforts in...
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has truly been an all-hands-on-deck moment for the nation. Among the responders are many with NIH affiliations, who are lending their expertise to deploy new and emerging technologies to address myriad research challenges. That’s certainly the case for the dedicated team from the National Institute...
The FDA continues to take creative and flexible approaches to address access to critical medical products in response to COVID-19. Researchers at academic institutions, non-traditional manufacturers, communities of makers, and individuals are banding together to support and fill local and national needs. The FDA is actively engaged across this...