The U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has opened a funding opportunity for rapid, high-impact projects that support the nation’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Using funds appropriated by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, NIST will award these grants through the NIST Manufacturing USA National Emergency Assistance Program with no requirements for cost matching.

Funding will be awarded to eligible Manufacturing USA^® institutes, a network of 14 public-private partnerships that work with academic and private sector manufacturing organizations on research and development and manufacturing skills training. Each institute focuses on a particular advanced manufacturing specialty, such as bio-fabrication, 3D manufacturing, or advanced functional fabrics.

“Manufacturing USA’s network includes more than 2,000 R&D institutions and manufacturers of all sizes, two-thirds of Fortune 50 U.S. manufacturers, and nearly every top-ranked research and engineering university in the U.S.,” said Walter G. Copan, under secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology and NIST director. “This community of world-leading manufacturers is well positioned to distribute high-impact funding into existing manufacturing sector efforts that will support our COVID-19 response.”

Eligible institutes are invited to propose projects that may include (but are not limited to): medical or nonmedical countermeasures; grants to accelerate production of critical materials, equipment, and supplies; additional production facilities; technology road-mapping for pandemic response and recovery; leveraging institute capabilities to strengthen state and community resilience; returning to the U.S. the manufacture of critical conventional drugs and ensuring supply chains for critical materials related to pandemic response; and workforce development and training for manufacturing workers.

Complete award details, including eligibility requirements, are available on www.grants.gov. Additional information on Manufacturing USA and the Manufacturing USA National Emergency Assistance Program, including informational webinars, may be found at www.manufacturingusa.com.