From my standpoint, technology transfer is not easy, especially when attempting to introduce a new capability or technology into the manufacturing sector. Smaller manufacturers in particular present unique environments and challenges that must be appropriately understood if the transfer is to succeed.

NIST researchers have an ally that makes technology transfer less daunting: the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership, also known as MEP. The MEP National Network comprises NIST MEP and MEP centers located in all 50 states and Puerto Rico, as well as the MEP Advisory Board, MEP Center boards, the Foundation for Manufacturing Excellence, and more than 1,400 trusted advisors and experts at approximately 450 MEP service locations. The network’s state-based centers are hubs where small and medium-sized manufacturers can connect with government agencies, trade associations, universities and research laboratories, state and federal initiatives, and a host of other resources to help them grow and innovate.

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