Manufacturing USA Technology Roadmap (MfgTech) Grant Program | 2021 NIST MFGTECH 01

Opportunity Information: Apply for 2021 NIST MFGTECH 01

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is offering the Manufacturing USA Technology Roadmap (MfgTech) Grant Program, a discretionary funding opportunity that uses cooperative agreements to support the creation of technology roadmaps for promising advanced manufacturing clusters. The central purpose is not to fund full-scale R&D programs directly, but to fund the organized planning work that helps an industry-led community identify, prioritize, and align around the highest-impact technical challenges and opportunities. Through these awards, NIST aims to establish new or strengthen existing consortia that are driven by industry needs and that can coordinate stakeholders around a shared agenda to accelerate advanced manufacturing growth in the United States.

A major emphasis of the notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) is technology roadmapping in areas considered critically important to the nation. In practical terms, applicants are expected to convene relevant participants across an advanced manufacturing cluster, assess the state of the technology and the market, identify gaps and barriers, and then produce a roadmap that lays out research and development priorities, timelines, and pathways to implementation. NIST highlights that the roadmap topics should be well-suited to areas that could potentially become the basis for future Manufacturing USA institutes, meaning the work should be broadly strategic, nationally relevant, and focused on capabilities that can scale and strengthen U.S. manufacturing competitiveness.

Eligibility is broadly open, but limited to domestic non-Federal entities. Eligible applicants include accredited institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations, for-profit organizations incorporated in the United States (including U.S. territories), and state, local, territorial, and Indian tribal governments. Individuals and unincorporated sole proprietors are specifically not eligible because they do not meet the definition of a non-Federal entity for this program. While the prime recipient must submit only one application as the recipient organization, that same entity can still participate in other proposals as a subrecipient or collaborator.

The program is designed to support team-based approaches. An eligible organization can apply on its own or assemble a project team that may include subrecipients, contractors, and/or unfunded collaborators, effectively forming a consortium. Subrecipients must also be eligible non-Federal entities of the same general types as prime applicants. Federal entities are allowed to participate as unfunded collaborators (or in other roles permitted by law), as long as their participation aligns with their own statutory authorities and internal policies. This structure encourages broad participation while keeping the funded award relationship centered on domestic, non-Federal lead organizations.

Key administrative details from the opportunity listing include the title "Manufacturing USA Technology Roadmap (MfgTech) Grant Program," funding opportunity number "2021 NIST MFGTECH 01," and an original closing date of August 17, 2021. The funding instrument is a cooperative agreement, which generally indicates that NIST expects to have substantial involvement during the period of performance compared with a standard grant, often through coordination, technical input, or shared stewardship to ensure the project stays aligned with program goals. The activity category is science and technology and other research and development, and the CFDA (now commonly referenced through Assistance Listing) number provided is 11.619. The source listing does not include an award ceiling or expected number of awards, so applicants would need to consult the full NOFO (particularly Section I and later budget sections) for specifics on funding levels, performance periods, deliverable requirements, and evaluation criteria.

• The National Institute of Standards and Technology in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Manufacturing USA Technology Roadmap (MfgTech) Grant Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 11.619.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2021-06-17.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2021-08-17. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for 2021 NIST MFGTECH 01

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: