As previously reported, the Obama Administration announced two new advanced technology research and development initiatives on June 24: the National Robotics Initiative and the Advanced Manufacturing Partnership.  While these are separate initiatives, they were launched as part of the Administration’s larger agenda to promote economic growth through a robust U.S. manufacturing sector.  This update provides additional details on the programs.

 

The NRI was originally proposed in the President’s fiscal year (FY) 2012 budget request to Congress at a funding level of $30 million.  The objectives of the initiative, as outlined in the funding solicitation, remain consistent with those included in the budget request; however, the Administration is now proposing a total funding level of $40-$50 million in FY 2012.  Funding for the initiative is subject to the Congressional appropriations process, however the Administration hopes to fund 60 to 75 projects.

 

The NRI will support research and development proposals to advance robotics technology that works beside or cooperatively with people in areas such as manufacturing, space exploration, healthcare delivery, and farming, among others.  The initiative will be supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).  It will support proposals from basic research and development to industry manufacturing and deployment.  Proposals may relate to any of the participating funding organizations.

 

USDA and NIH will support small, individual or multi-investigator projects ranging from $100,000 to $250,000 per year, lasting one to five years.  USDA is soliciting proposals for robotics research, application, and education to enhance food production, processing, and distribution.  The agency has identified several priority topics for research; however, it will accept proposals on other topics.  These topics include:high-throughput robotic technologies; multi-agent command, coordination, and communication; and all agency sponsor-targeted proposals.

 

NIH will support robotics research with applications for surgery, prostheses, rehabilitation, and personalized care, among others.   Examples of biomedical research and technology development cited by NIH in the funding solicitation include:

 

NIH will consider applications for robotics research outside of the areas listed above.

 

NSF and NASA will support both small and large scale projects.  Large, multi-disciplinary group research projects are expected to range from $250,001 to $1 million (not to exceed $1.5 million) per year, lasting one to five years. 

 

NSF is encouraging potentially transformative research proposals for co-robot systems that can demonstrate a level of intelligence and adaptability seen in humans and animals.  The agency is soliciting multi-disciplinary research proposals that incorporate behavioral and social sciences, education, and computer science and engineering.  NSF will also support proposals to develop co-robot testbeds for technology testing, demonstration, and validation, as well as proposals to support the use of robotics technology and robotics competitions in K-16 education.

 

NASA is soliciting proposals for robotics technology to enhance the agency’s space missions.  NASA's top level objectives include: creating and capturing new markets for the American robotics industry; inventing new robotic systems to assist astronauts during missions; and developing innovative robotic explorers for missions beyond lower Earth orbit.

 

Letters of intent are required and are due October 1 for small proposals and December 15 for large proposals.  The full application is due November 3 for small proposals and January 18, 2012 for large proposals.

 

More details, including the full funding solicitation can be found here: http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2011/nsf11553/nsf11553.htm.

 

 

The AMP initiative will facilitate partnerships between the federal government, academia, and private sector manufacturers to better disseminate advanced manufacturing design methodologies.   This initiative builds upon the recommendations made in a June 2011 report by the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST), which recommended a comprehensive initiative to create a stronger manufacturing industry in the U.S. The PCAST report can be found here: http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/microsites/ostp/pcast-advanced-manufacturing-june2011.pdf.

 

The $500 million initiative proposes new funding opportunities that will be subject to Congressional appropriations, and leverages existing funding within several federal agencies.  For example, the Department of Defense (DOD) in collaboration with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Department of Energy (DOE), USDA, and the Department of Commerce (DOC), as well as other partners, will invest $300 million in existing funds for research and development on manufacturing technologies with applications for U.S. national security needs, such as small high-powered batteries, advanced composites, and alternative energy.  Additionally, DOE plans to invest $120 million in existing funds to support research and development proposals that will reduce the costs of manufacturing by using less energy.

 

The President also proposed $100 million for a new funding opportunity aimed at significantly reducing the time period to develop and deploy advanced materials.  The Materials Genome Initiative, which was initially proposed in the President’s FY 2012 budget request, will be supported by DOE, NSF, DOD, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).  While the initiative is still in its initial planning phase and funding has not been appropriated by Congress, the budget request has identified six targeted activities for the agencies involved:

 

·        DOE and NSF will support the development of advanced interoperable software programs for the next-generation design of matter.

·        DOE and NSF will also support the development of next-generation characterization tools in support of their advanced software programs.

·        NIST will support the development of standards infrastructure, reference databases, and centers of excellence focused on computer modeling and simulation for materials discovery.

·        DOD will support basic and applied computational materials research that improves the performance and accelerates the transition of advanced materials with applications for U.S. national security needs.

·        DOE’s Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) program will use computational tools to advance the development of new materials for energy technologies.

·        NSF and DOD will facilitate partnerships between academia, government, and industry to support workforce development goals.

 

More information on the Materials Genome Initiative can be found here: http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/microsites/ostp/materials_genome_initiative-final.pdf

 

Other federal agency initiatives in support of AMP include:

·        The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) announced that it will support proposals with the potential to significantly reduce the time required to design, build, and test manufactured products.

·        DOC will provide $12 million in FY 2012, depending on availability of funds, to facilitate the development of an advanced manufacturing technology consortium, creating public-private partnerships to address challenges to the development of new products.

·        DOE, in partnership with Ford Motor Company and the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), will launch an initiative to train the next generation of manufacturers.

·        DOD plans to develop an online marketplace to connect U.S. manufacturers with product needs at DOD and other federal agencies.

 

AMP will be led by Andrew Liveris, Chairman, President and CEO of Dow Chemical, and Susan Hockfield, President of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.  While additional university partners are expected to be added, the initiative will initially involve: the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Carnegie Mellon University, the Georgia Institute of Technology, Stanford University, the University of California-Berkeley, and the University of Michigan.  The manufacturers involved in AMP include: Allegheny Technologies, Caterpillar, Corning, Dow Chemical, Ford, Honeywell, Intel, Johnson and Johnson, Northrop Grumman, Procter and Gamble, and Stryker.  

 

Lewis-Burke will continue to monitor this initiative and report on any opportunities.