The Nebraska Manufacturing Extension Partnership is receiving $300,000 in CARES Act grant funding to assist manufacturers navigating the COVID-19 pandemic. "The coronavirus has produced a very challenging business environment which has impacted Nebraska manufacturers in a variety of ways", says Matt Allmand, Nebraska MEP Director. "The CARES Act funding will allow the Nebraska MEP to offer select services free of charge or at greatly reduced pricing to provide the tools and methodology to strategize, operate more efficiently, and execute their business effectively."
An online application form to apply grant funding to a specific service or project is available from the Nebraska MEP. "We've identified a number of areas in which we can connect manufacturers to our experienced staff members as well as third-party experts in their field," says Allmand. Each application will be reviewed by a Nebraska MEP selection committee and qualifying recipients will be notified. Manufacturer awards will be limited to a single service offering per company.
The Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) launched the application process for $50 million in grants to help manufacturers respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. Using funds authorized by the CARES Act signed by President Trump last month, NIST will issue awards to Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) centers in all 50 states and Puerto Rico for COVID-19-related projects.
The Nebraska MEP is part of the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) program. Residing within the U.S. Department of Commerce, MEP was created in 1988 with the intent of enhancing the productivity and technological performance of U.S. manufacturers. Today, the MEP program consists of 51 centers in every state and Puerto Rico with over 400 service locations and 1,300 technical experts working together to advance and strengthen U.S. manufacturing.
More info at https://nemep.unl.edu/application-cares-act-funding