This is historical material, "frozen in time." The web site is no longer updated and links to external web sites and some internal pages will not work.

                    TECHNOLOGY REINVESTMENT PROJECT
                         EARLY AWARD SELECTIONS
                         TECHNOLOGY DEPLOYMENT

Technology Access for Product Innovation (TAP-IN)

Battelle will lead a consortium including NASA Regional Technology Transfer Centers (RTTC's), the Federal Laboratory Consortium, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in an effort to increase access to information on federal laboratory technologies. These organizations will be integrated into a nationwide network through the NASA RTTC's to help small defense-dependent business access and apply federal technology to product development and diversification opportunities. The anticipated cost of this effort is approximately $54.0 million over 36 months.

               California Manufacturing Technology Center 
          to Help 300 Defense Suppliers Diversify to Dual Use

The California Manufacturing Technology Center (CMTC) is an existing NIST Manufacturing Technology Center serving manufacturers in the Los Angeles basin. Under this proposal, CMTC will add extension field agents and institute specific market identification and company transition techniques to address the large number of defense-dependent firms in Southern California. Partners in the proposal are the El Camino Community College District, California Community College (Sacramento) and California Trade and Commerce Agency. The target popula- tion numbers over 15,000 firms. The anticipated cost of this effort is approximately $1.5 million over 12 months.

Recycling Technology Assistance Project

The Clean Washington Center, an existing state-funded assistance program, works with the National Recycling Coalition and the Northwest Policy Center at the University of Washington to create a state extension resource for materials reuse and waste minimization. The project seeks to help companies transform production practices to attain greater materials-use efficiency, reduce waste, increase materials reuse, and develop new products. Analysis of the program will be disseminated nationally through the National Recycling Coalition. The anticipated cost of this effort is approxi- mately $2.5 million over 12 months.

Massachusetts Manufacturing Modernization Partnership

This proposal, organized by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, supplements and coordinates existing assistance resources (including Bay State Skills Corporation, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Bunker Hill Community College and the University of Massachusetts) to build a comprehensive state-wide industrial extension system. The project establishes five coordinated regional delivery centers with industry-dominated boards, and provides strong state oversight of the centralized points of contact for industry access to assistance services. The project will assist 10,000 firms state-wide, with a focus on defense-dependent industry sectors (e.g., plastics, electronics, metalworking). The anticipated cost of this effort is approximately $30 million over 36 months.

Georgia Manufacturing Technology Extension Center

Georgia Tech Research Corporation has teamed with Georgia Institute of Technology, the Georgia Department of Technical and Adult Education, a Small Business Development Center, and Georgia Power Company to build on the existing Georgia extension service to form a strong statewide manufactur- ing extension service. Field agents will work directly state-wide with small- and medium-sized manufacturers to signifi- cantly increase their competitiveness through advancement in their level of technology. The target population numbers over 9,000 companies. The anticipated cost of this effort is approxi- mately $6.4 million over 12 months.

         Energy & Environmental Technology Access Strategy for
                       Small-Medium Manufacturers

The Industrial Technology Institute, a non-profit organiza- tion in Ann Arbor, Michigan, which hosts the NIST Midwest Manufacturing Technology Center, will lead a consortium to develop a set of protocols and tools for assessing manufacturing opera- tions that integrate energy, environmental and competitiveness factors. These assessment tools will be pilot tested and trans- ferred to other manufacturing extension service providers and then directly to manufacturers. The consortium includes the Cleveland Advanced Manufacturing Program, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of Energy, Sandia National Laboratories and the Northeast-Midwest Institute. The anticipated cost of this effort is approximately $5.25 million over 24 months.

Manufacturers EnterCorp _- A Product Realization Access Network

The Mid-America Manufacturing Technology Center leads a consortium to provide product development and hard manufacturing assistance to small manufacturers in Missouri, Kansas and Colo- rado via an electronically-linked network of private industry, university and Federal laboratory technology providers. This will significantly increase technology transfer from the U.S. Department of Energy Kansas City Plant to the region's manufacturers. The consortium includes the DemMaTec Foundation, Allied Signal, Metropolitan (Kansas City) Community Colleges and Sprint. The anticipated cost of this effort is approximately $21.7 million over 24 months.

New York State Industrial Technology Extension Service Project

The New York State Industrial Technology Extension Service (ITES) is an existing operation managed by the New York State Science and Technology Foundation. Under this proposal, thirty new field agents will be added to the system, with special concentration in the areas of the state which are suffering from defense conversion and industrial job loss. The new field agents are closely coordinated with other extension service providers, both existing Manufacturing Technology Centers, Small Business Development Centers, and related organi- zations, and other extension service providers. The target population numbers over 28,000 firms in all areas of New York State. The anticipated cost of this effort is approximately $3.6 million over 12 months.

Creating a National Industrial Extension Agent Curriculum

This joint project between the National Technology Transfer Center, Pennsylvania State University, and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, will create a curriculum for training extension agents across the United States in a consistent, high quality and timely manner. Both basic and advanced curricula will be developed to address all of the needs of the new commu- nity of manufacturing extension agents. It will apply to all service providers, whether they are focused on the Department of Defense or on commercial service providers. The anticipated cost of this effort is approximately $1.7 million over 24 months.

       Manufacturing Outreach System for Achieving International
                        Competitiveness (MOSAIC)

Production Technology, Tufts University (TECnet), and Microelectronics & Computer Technology Corporation (MCC) have joined together to link manufacturing technology centers and other extension service providers to each other and to a number of technology sources electronically. This linkage will help create "one-stop-shopping" access to technology sources at all levels. This electronic network will use MCC's Enterprise Integration Network (EInet) front end to allow the extension service providers to easily and securely find and share manufac- turing information. The anticipated cost of this effort is approximately $19 million over 24 months.

National Assistance Extension Program for Metal Casting

The Metal Casting Center at the University of Northern Iowa will expand its current capabilities for metal casting assist- ance in its local, multi-state region. The Center will link with Manufacturing Technology Centers (MTC's) and other exten- sion service providers to supply an industry-specific resource. In addition to helping defense-related and commercial firms improve their competitiveness, it will help increase overall surge capacity in the U.S. casting industry. The anticipated cost of this effort is approximately $4.1 million over 24 months.

The Agile Web Pilot Project

The Ben Franklin Technology Center at Lehigh University, along with Texas Instruments, IBM, and at least fourteen small- and medium-sized enterprises, will lead a project to address reconfigurable customer/supplier partnerships. The project implements agile manufacturing methods for technical and economic advantages. "Virtual firms" consisting of various activities in different companies and plants that are linked by computer and television networks will be formed for manufacturing different electromechanical assemblies to optimize cost, cycle time, and customer requirements for marketing. The project seeks to develop a robust and internationally competitive network to set world class benchmarks for flexible/agile manufacturing. The anticipated cost of this effort is approximately $4.4 million over 24 months.