Hagel Brown

WASHINGTON, D.C. – During a meeting with secretary of defense nominee Chuck Hagel, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) pressed the importance of creating a National Network for Manufacturing Innovation (NNMI) like the first-of-its-kind National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute in Youngstown.

“Creating institutions like the Mahoning Valley’s National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute will help to ensure that our nation has the ability to produce the material and systems necessary to support our men and women in uniform,” Brown said. “We must give American workers the opportunity to out-innovate the rest of world so we can create jobs and strengthen our national security. The NAMII in Youngstown is the right first step. Creating a National Network for Manufacturing Innovation is the next step.”

Brown is currently drafting legislation that will help establish more next generation manufacturing centers like the first-of-its-kind NAMII in Youngstown. President Obama specifically cited the NAMII in his recent State of the Union address and has previously expressed support for a NNMI in his Fiscal Year 2013 budget proposal.

 

The NAMII was established by the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) following a competitive interagency review of more than 12 programs and represents one of the most significant public-private partnerships in advanced manufacturing.

 

 

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