For those among you who are involved with defense manufacturing issues, including but not limited to additive and advanced manufacturing, wanted to let you know that The National Academies Press, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine has issued a new and publicly available report entitled, “DoD Engagement with Its Manufacturing Innovation Institutes: Phase 2 Study Final Report” (Copyright 2021 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.).

According to the report, “since 2012, sixteen Manufacturing USA Institutes have been established by the federal government. Nine of these Manufacturing Innovation Institutes (MIIs) have been sponsored by the Department of Defense (DoD) under the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) Defense Manufacturing Science and Technology (DMS&T) program. DoD MIIs are public–private partnerships (PPPs) that are focused on specific technology areas identified as critical for the future of DoD and for which manufacturing technology maturation is an important need for technology implementation. All of the MIIs were initially established under fixed-term, 5- to 7-year agreements. To date, three of the institutes have transitioned to second-phase agreements, and three more are approaching the transition point…. The final report from this study provides additional insights into the MII assessment topic but focuses on findings and recommendations relevant to EWD best practices and DoD and other federal agency engagement strategies.”