Advanced Manufacturing - Providing the Foundation for Sustainable Economic Growth

摘要

Following up on recent announcements regarding the Advanced Manufacturing Partnership, and the Report to the President on Ensuring American Leadership in Advanced Manufacturing released last June by the Presidential Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST), this week the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) has released a new National Strategic Plan for Advanced Manufacturing. The NSTC’s assessment of trends in advanced manufacturing in the U.S. revealed key opportunities where federal policy could accelerate progress and economic impact, and challenges potentially impacting the sustainability of advanced manufacturing ecosystems. Developing a strategy in advanced manufacturing is essential for identification of key gaps within the U.S. innovation cycle, and for effectively directing federal investments in order to leverage emerging market opportunities within the global economy. Key issues include the gap between research and development (R&D) activities and the scaled commercialization through technical innovations in domestic production. As such, the strategic plan presents an innovation policy that would address these gaps, along with the full lifecycle of technology, from fundamental science, to product concept, to scaled manufacturing. The strategy further involves close engagement and partnering between industry, academia, and govern¬ment at the national, state, and regional levels. Developed through a collaborative interagency process the plan notes the critical importance of advanced manufacturing on U.S. economic strength, global competitiveness, and national security. The strategic plan specifies five key inter-related objectives in which a large number of Federal agencies, coordinated through the NSTC, will have important roles to play in the implementation of the strategy. \ud\udAlso included: Game Changing Battery Technology Promises Longer Range, Lower Cost Electric Vehicles, NanoBusiness Interview: Andrew Maynard, Ph.D., Dr. Alan Rae Joins NanoMaterials Innovation Center as CEO