Create a free Manufacturing.net account to continue

ITIF Praises National Network For Manufacturing Innovation In Obama Budget

The $1 billion appropriation would create a series of 45 advanced manufacturing centers designed to spur research, development and deployment of next generation technologies that will enhance manufacturing competitiveness and job creation in the United States.

WASHINGTON — The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) praised the inclusion of the National Network for Manufacturing Innovation (NNMI) in President Obama's 2015 budget proposal.

The $1 billion appropriation would create a series of 45 advanced manufacturing centers designed to spur research, development and deployment of next generation technologies that will enhance manufacturing competitiveness and job creation in the United States.

"NNMI will serve as a hub for new technology, workforce training and enhanced collaboration between industry, government and academia, while spurring the creation of the new products, processes and industry sectors that are vital to reviving American manufacturing," says Robert Atkinson, President of the ITIF.

The network is also a component of the bipartisan Revitalize American Manufacturing and Innovation Act of 2013 (RAMI), cosponsored by Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Roy Blunt (R-MO), which is designed to spur investment in and development of next-generation manufacturing sectors.

"The United States is in a global race for innovation advantage and must create new conduits for improving the technological capacity and competitiveness of our manufacturing firms or risk falling further behind our international competitors," Atkinson adds. "ITIF urges Congress to include funding for NNMI in its final budget, while also passing RAMI. These proposals will create the innovation ecosystem that is critical to spurring economic and job growth."

To view an ITIF report on the impact of innovation on manufacturing and economic development visit, https://www2.itif.org/2012-national-network-manufacturing-innovation.pdf.


The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) is a non-profit, non-partisan think tank whose mission is to formulate and promote public policies to advance technological innovation and productivity internationally, in Washington, and in the states. Recognizing the vital role of technology in ensuring prosperity, ITIF focuses on innovation, productivity, and digital economy issues. Learn more at www.itif.org.

More in Industry 4.0