Easton Manufacturers: DOE Announces A New RFP And $4M In Selections For Smart Manufacturing Projects

Press release from the Town of Easton:

April 9, 2021

Easton Manufacturers: DOE Announces a New RFP and $4M in Selections for Smart Manufacturing Projects

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced a new request for proposals (RFP) and $4 million in selections for projects that will accelerate the adoption of Smart Manufacturing practices. These initiatives support the Biden Administration’s efforts to spur innovation, create a highly skilled Smart Manufacturing workforce, and reduce the carbon footprint of the manufacturing sector.

Smart Manufacturing describes a variety of measures involving digitization, automation, and artificial intelligence—all of which improve the efficiency, productivity, and environmental sustainability of the manufacturing sector. DOE's Clean Energy Smart Manufacturing Innovation Institute (CESMII), which supports advances in smart sensors and digital process controls, will manage these projects.

Through the new, $2 million Request for Proposals (RFP), CESMII will expand its Smart Manufacturing Innovation Centers (SMICs), a network of individuals and organizations from industry, government, and academia. SMICs allow manufacturers of all sizes to benefit from the network’s manufacturing assets and competencies, and to create testbeds.

CESMII also selected 14 new research and development projects from a previous RFP issued last year. These projects will apply Smart Manufacturing solutions to real-world manufacturing process and operation challenges, improving energy productivity, performance, quality and efficiency.

View the full list of selected projects.

This press release was produced by the Town of Easton. The views expressed here are the author’s own.