OSA Commends 19 Winners of NIST Advanced Manufacturing Technology Consortia Program

The Optical Society (OSA) today congratulated the 19 grant winners of the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST) Advanced Manufacturing Technology Consortia (AMTech) Program.

NIST announced $9 million in awards for industry-driven consortia “to develop technology roadmaps aimed at strengthening U.S. manufacturing and innovation performance across industries.” OSA CEO Elizabeth Rogan issued the following statement:

• “The AMTech grants announced today provide an important opportunity for the U.S. to continue on its path of leadership in the advanced manufacturing marketplace.
• “We are pleased to see two funded awards related to photonics. The University of Rochester is developing industry roadmaps and seeking to establish a national photonics-based manufacturing institute, while a team from the International Electronics Manufacturing Initiative is addressing hardware challenges of integrated photonics manufacturing.
• “The success of these winning proposals is also due, in part, to the public expression of support in Washington, D.C. from the U.S. photonics community, particularly from the National Photonics Initiative (NPI). OIDA—an OSA division—is aligned with the goals of the NIST grants, and has been working closely with key public-private stakeholders to emphasize the need for government support of these consortia and other specific photonics programs.”

Today’s grants, ranging from $379,000 to $540,000 each, are the first round given by NIST’s AMTEch Program and are awarded to universities and nonprofits organizations. More information on the program and its winners is available on the NIST website.