Programs

Acquisition & Sustainment remains committed to enabling the delivery and sustainment of capability to our Warfighters. The Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Policy hosts a number of resources, from reports outlining the importance of manufacturing and the industrial base to national security to funding opportunities for businesses. The Department of Defense (DoD) maximizes opportunities for small businesses to compete for DoD prime contracts and subcontracts. A Defense Acquisition toolkit has been designed for the purpose of encouraging small businesses to maximize shared interests.

The Advanced Functional Fabrics of America Institute (AFFOA), a Manufacturing USA Institute, addresses the spectrum of manufacturing challenges associated with developing and scaling advanced fibers and textiles from design through pilot production, helping to transition innovative technologies, and training the next generation manufacturing workforce. The institute’s Fabric Innovation Network  of member companies enables the development and commercialization of textile products that can see, hear, sense, communicate, store energy, regulate temperature, monitor health, and change color while delivering the conventional qualities of fabrics to benefit the commercial consumer and warfighter. The institute delivers breakthrough capabilities and innovations for national security through de-risking university technologies, non-traditional defense contractor participation, and the development of advanced textile systems. AFFOA centralizes the revolutionary fiber and fabric technology capabilities of startups, manufacturers, industry, and academia and organizes them to produce and manufacture advanced textile systems for the Department of Defense and commercial markets.

The MBDA Advanced Manufacturing Centers offers targeted assistance to Minority Business Enterprise manufacturers that aim to employ new technologies to increase the number of “Made in America” products that can be sold domestically and globally.

The Advanced Materials & Manufacturing Technologies Office (AMMTO) supports a globally competitive U.S. manufacturing sector that accelerates the adoption of innovative materials and manufacturing technologies in support of a clean, decarbonized economy. AMMTO does this through their mission: to inspire people and drive innovation to transform materials and manufacturing for America's energy future.

The Advanced Regenerative Manufacturing Institute (ARMI), a Manufacturing USA Institute, is a member-based, nonprofit organization whose mission is to advance the bioeconomy of the United States. The institute’s work will positively impact not only manufacturing but also health care and education and workforce development for the nation. 

The Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) advances high-potential, high-impact energy technologies that are too early for private-sector investment. ARPA-E awardees are unique because they are developing entirely new ways to generate, store, and use energy.

The Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing (ARM) Institute, a Manufacturing USA Institute, strengthens U.S. manufacturing through innovations in advanced manufacturing technology, particularly robotics and artificial intelligence, and prepares the workforce to work alongside these technologies. We foster collaboration between those who can create and maintain robotics and those who can leverage it for maximum economic impact. Working across industry, government, and academia, we leverage a robust ecosystem to fulfill our vision and mission. The ARM Institute, with its national consortium and support from the U.S. federal Government, empowers the full U.S. manufacturing ecosystem. The ARM Institute bridges the gap between funding and impact, identifying problems and spurring solutions.

American Institute for Manufacturing Integrated Photonics (AIM Photonics), a Manufacturing USA Institute, offers startups, designers and developers, and academic researchers access to a supporting infrastructure of services across the entire silicon photonics development cycle: design, simulation, fabrication, packaging, validation, and a path to volume manufacturing. Their mission is to advance integrated photonic circuit manufacturing technology development in the United States.

America Makes, the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute is a Manufacturing USA Institute and the nation’s leading public-private partnership for additive manufacturing (AM) technology and education. America Makes members from industry, academia, government, and workforce and economic development organizations work together to accelerate AM adoption and the nation’s global manufacturing competitiveness, focused on three areas — developing AM technology, developing an AM workforce, and maintaining a collaborative AM ecosystem. 

The Better Plants Program works with leading U.S. manufacturers and wastewater treatment agencies to set ambitious energy, water, waste, and carbon reduction goals. By partnering with industry, the Better Plants program aims to help leading manufacturers boost efficiency, increase resilience, strengthen economic competitiveness, and reduce their carbon footprint.

The Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) within the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) supports the research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) of technologies aimed at mobilizing domestic renewable carbon resources for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions across the U.S. economy. BETO funds work in collaboration with industry, academia, and DOE national laboratories to develop advanced technologies and innovative solutions to reduce the costs of biofuels. The RD&D supported by BETO and its partners is creating cutting-edge technologies used in the processing of biomass and waste, from harvesting and preprocessing to conversion. BETO is focused on technologies to efficiently convert organic materials and biomass into affordable biofuels and bioproducts. 

BioFabUSA, a Manufacturing USA Institute and program of the Advanced Regenerative Manufacturing Institute (ARMI), is a public-private partnership including companies, academic institutions and not-for profit organizations. The mission of BioFabUSA is to bring together the fundamental tenets of good manufacturing processes and the science of regenerative medicine to create regenerative manufacturing and the trained and ready workforce necessary for that manufacturing.

Bioindustrial Manufacturing and Design Ecosystem (BioMADE), a Manufacturing USA Institute,  is building a sustainable, domestic, end-to-end bioindustrial manufacturing ecosystem. BioMADE has the mission and flexibility to propel new biotechnology products from the laboratory to the commercial market.  In addition to supporting the development of technologies to strengthen American competitiveness, BioMADE is building the workforce of the future by partnering with K-12 schools, community colleges, universities, and professional development organizations. 

A strong, committed partnership between industry and the federal government is vital when responding to a public health emergency. Through the work of its three programs, the Pharmaceutical Countermeasures Infrastructure (PCI) partners with industry to strengthen and enhance the nation’s ability to manufacture, distribute, and administer life-saving vaccines and therapeutics during a public health emergency.

The Building Training and Assessment Centers (BTAC) Program will provide grants to institutions of higher education to establish building training and assessment centers. These BTACs will educate and train students and building performance professionals to deploy modern building technologies to small businesses and K-12 schools.

BTACs will fund institutions of higher education, like community colleges and universities, to prepare a diverse and equitable workforce that will lower our nation's carbon footprint. 

Semiconductors, or chips, are tiny electronic devices that are integral to America’s economic and national security. These devices power tools as simple as a light switch and as complex as a fighter jet or a smartphone. Semiconductors power our consumer electronics, automobiles, data centers, critical infrastructure, and virtually all military systems. They are also essential building blocks of the technologies that will shape our future, including artificial intelligence, biotechnology, and clean energy.

While the United States remains a global leader in semiconductor design and research and development, it has fallen behind in manufacturing and now accounts for only about 10 percent of global commercial production. Today, none of the most advanced logic and memory chips—the chips that power PCs, smartphones, and supercomputers—are manufactured at commercial scale in the United States. In addition, many elements of the semiconductor supply chain are geographically concentrated, leaving them vulnerable to disruption and endangering the global economy and U.S. national security.

The CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 provides the Department of Commerce with $50 billion for a suite of programs to strengthen and revitalize the U.S. position in semiconductor research, development, and manufacturing — while also investing in American workers.

The Clean Energy Manufacturing Initiative is an effort across the U.S. Department of Energy in innovation and breaking down market barriers to enhance U.S. manufacturing competitiveness while advancing progress toward the nation’s energy goals. This site provides federal resources to help you design, scale up, and commercialize your technology.

The Clean Energy Smart Manufacturing Innovation Institute (CESMII), a Manufacturing USA Institute, focuses on the research and development of technologies and solutions that can capture, share, and process in real-time the increasing amounts of information available at manufacturing facilities. These technologies are expected to enable dramatically improved process control and operation, and enable benefits such as improved energy efficiency, equipment reliability, productivity gains, as well as related improvements in safety, quality, and yield in manufacturing processes. 

Highlighting the benefits of combined heat and power (CHP) as an energy resource, Executive Order 13624 established a national goal of 40 gigawatts of new CHP capacity by 2020. In support of this goal, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Advanced Manufacturing Office's CHP Deployment Program provides stakeholders with the resources necessary to identify CHP market opportunities and support implementation of CHP systems in industrial, federal, commercial, institutional, and other applications. DOE's CHP Technical Assistance Partnerships (TAPs) 1 provide national coverage to assist in the fulfillment of this goal.

Concentrating solar-thermal power (CSP) technologies can be used to generate electricity by converting energy from sunlight to power a turbine, but the same basic technologies can also be used to deliver heat to a variety of industrial applications, like water desalination, enhanced oil recovery, food processing, chemical production, and mineral processing. The U.S. Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office supports CSP research and development projects that work to improve the performance, reduce the cost, and improve the lifetime and reliability of materials, components, subsystems, and integrated solutions for CSP technologies.

The Cybersecurity Manufacturing Innovation Institute (CyManII), a Manufacturing USA Institute, is an inclusive national research institute with major leading research universities in cybersecurity, smart and energy-efficient manufacturing, and deep expertise in research and development, supply chains, factory automation, and workforce development. Funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, CyManII aggregates the most advanced research institutions in revolutionary manufacturing, securing automation and supply chains, workforce development, and cybersecurity. The research team brings to bear the most powerful expertise and infrastructure needed to ensure the digital transformation that will continue to propel the United States in innovative research in manufacturing for decades.

The Defense Production Act (DPA) Title III office is committed to ensuring resilient, robust domestic supply chains to reduce reliance on foreign manufacturing and correct domestic shortfalls in the defense industrial base. The DPA Title III office works in partnership with the Uniformed services, other government agencies, and industry to identify areas where critical industrial capacity is insufficient to meet U.S. defense and commercial needs. The office partners with U.S. private industry to mitigate gaps in the domestic supply chain using grants, purchase commitments, loans, or loan guarantees. The DPA Title III office is comprised of subject matter experts across a wide variety of investment areas, acquisition professionals, skilled program managers, and data analytics and audit professionals.

The Distributed Bioindustrial Manufacturing Program (DBIMP) aims to advance biotechnology as part of efforts to strengthen and build the resiliency of America's defense industrial base and secure its supply chains. Biomanufacturing has the potential to support the U.S. military and our allies and partners by generating needed materials — from fuels and chemicals to food and medical supplies — where and when our forces need them has significant implications for our military. 

E3: Economy, Energy and Environment is a federal technical assistance framework helping communities, manufacturers, and manufacturing supply chains adapt and thrive in today's green economy. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and five other federal agencies have pooled their resources to support small and medium-sized manufacturers with customized assessments. E3 is helping communities across the country reduce pollution and energy use while increasing profits and creating new job opportunities.

The Electrified Process for Industry without Carbon’s (EPIXC), a Manufacturing USA Institute, is a public-private partnership aimed at securing U.S. manufacturing competitiveness in a global economic environment that increasingly demands eliminating carbon emissions by developing the technologies and workforce required to replace fossil fuel-based heating with electric heating. 

The National Science Foundation, Department of Labor and Department of Energy fund programs supporting energy and manufacturing-related workforce training opportunities. 

The Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) is based at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. The National Program Office (NIST MEP) provides the federal government funding for the MEP National Network^™. The MEP National Network comprises the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Manufacturing Extension Partnership, the 51 MEP Centers located in all 50 states and Puerto Rico, the MEP Advisory Board, MEP Center boards, and the Foundation for Manufacturing Excellence, as well as over 1,440 trusted advisors and experts at approximately 460 MEP service locations. The MEP National Network's strength is in its partnerships. Through its collaborations at the federal, state and local level, MEP Centers work with manufacturers to develop new products and customers, expand and diversify markets, adopt new technology, and enhance value within supply chains. The MEP Program serves as a bridge to other organizations and federal research labs that share a passion for enhancing the manufacturing community. 

The Industrial Efficiency & Decarbonization Office (IEDO) accelerates the innovation and adoption of cost-effective technologies that eliminate industrial greenhouse gas emissions. IEDO provides planning, management, and direction necessary for a balanced national program of research, development, demonstration, technical assistance, and workforce development to drive energy, materials and production efficiency, and decarbonization across the industrial sector. 

The US DOE Industrial Training and Assessment Centers (ITACs) can help small and medium sized US manufacturers save energy, improve productivity, and reduce waste by providing no-cost technical assessments conducted by university based teams of engineering students and faculty.

After the site visit, the ITAC team provides a comprehensive report with specific details on all opportunities for improving competitiveness identified, including applicable rebates and incentives.

The Industrial Training and Assessment Centers Program (ITAC), also known as Industrial Assessment Centers, advances a clean energy and manufacturing workforce that represents the diversity of America, and a reinvigorated manufacturing base prepared to lead the global clean energy transition.

The Industry–University Cooperative Research Centers (IUCRC) program accelerates the impact of basic research through close relationships between industry innovators, world-class academic teams, and government leaders. The IUCRC program provides a structure for academic researchers to conduct fundamental, pre-competitive research of shared interest to industry and government organizations. These organizations pay membership fees to a consortium so that they can collectively envision and fund research, with at least 90% of member funds allocated to the direct costs of these shared research projects.

The Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation (IACMI), a Manufacturing USA Institute, is a partnership of industry, academic and governmental organizations joining forces to benefit the nation’s energy and economic security. This is accomplished by bringing low-cost, energy-efficient advanced composites to commercial readiness through the collaborative and innovative work of our members. Researchers at IACMI are working to develop lower-cost, higher-speed, and more efficient manufacturing and recycling processes for advanced composite materials. 

LIFT, a Manufacturing USA Institute, is a nonprofit, public-private partnership between industry, academia, and government that supports our nation’s economy and enhances its national security by accelerating innovative advanced manufacturing technology and talent development. LIFT solves the manufacturing equation by connecting materials, processes, systems, and talent needed to drive American manufacturing into the future.

The Made in America Office (MIAO) website is designed to promote transparency in federal procurement by enabling manufacturers and other parties to easily identify opportunities and relevant market intelligence to those interested in doing business with the U.S. government. This website provides centralized information on past and pending waivers of Made in America laws, information from which is used to support U.S. manufacturing and more resilient supply chains.

Initial information on historical waivers as well as current waivers resulting from initial implementation of Executive Order 14005: Ensuring the Future Is Made in All of America by All of America’s Workers is also available. 

Advanced manufacturing technologies for both terrestrial and in-space purposes will make commercial and exploration missions more efficient and affordable. NASA is developing new materials with improved or combined properties, learning how to build infrastructure, and innovating manufacturing processes. 

The Manufacturing Capability Expansion and Investment Prioritization (MCEIP) Office oversees the execution of the Defense Production Act Investments (DPAI) and Innovation Capability and Modernization (ICAM) portfolios, utilizing all available authorities to address the challenge and incentivize industry.

The MEP National Network^TM is a unique public-private partnership that delivers comprehensive, proven solutions to U.S. manufacturers, fueling growth and advancing U.S. manufacturing.  The Network comprises the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Manufacturing Extension Partnership, the 51 MEP Centers located in all 50 states and Puerto Rico, the MEP Advisory Board, MEP Center boards, and the Foundation for Manufacturing Excellence, as well as over 1,440 trusted advisors and experts at approximately 460 MEP service locations. MEP Centers tailor services ranging from process improvement and workforce development to specialized business practices, including supply chain integration and technology transfer. Centers connect manufacturers with government agencies, trade associations, universities, research laboratories, state and federal initiatives, and other resources.

The Manufacturing Innovation Institutes (DoD MIIs) seek to revitalize the U.S.’s domestic manufacturing capability through domestic public-private partnerships that enhance America’s strategic competitiveness while enabling the military of tomorrow. This is achieved through three primary activities hosted by the institutes: Advancing research and development (R&D), growing manufacturing ecosystems to enhance the Nation’s competitiveness, and furthering education and workforce development to train Americans of all ages and backgrounds for jobs of the future.

The ability of the military to respond to an emergency depends on our Nation’s ability to produce needed parts and systems, healthy and secure supply chains, and a skilled U.S. workforce.

Manufacturing Times Digital (MxD), a Manufacturing USA Institute, is where innovative manufacturers forge their futures. In partnership with the Department of Defense (DoD), MxD provides manufacturers with digital tools and expertise to begin building every part better than the last.  Institute members increase their productivity and win more business, powered by a workforce with the digital skills they need for a cybersecure industrial base. MxD also works with DoD manufacturers and contractors to assess and implement digital improvements throughout the industrial base.

Manufacturing USA was created in 2014 to secure U.S. global leadership in advanced manufacturing by connecting people, ideas, and technology. Manufacturing USA institutes convene business competitors, academic institutions, and other stakeholders to test applications of new technology, create new products, reduce cost and risk, and enable the manufacturing workforce with the skills of the future. Key initiatives include future manufacturing supply chains, , manufacturing workforce development, advanced manufacturing technology leadership, COVID-19 manufacturing recovery, and clean energy manufacturing.

The Materials Genome Initiative is a federal multi-agency initiative for discovering, manufacturing, and deploying advanced materials twice as fast and at a fraction of the cost compared to traditional methods. The initiative creates policy, resources, and infrastructure to support U.S. institutions in the adoption of methods for accelerating materials development. 

SBA’s Learning Center provides online resources and courses to help small businesses develop skills for success in key management fields.

The Biopharmaceutical Manufacturing Preparedness Consortium (BioMaP-Consortium) supports the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) and is comprised of industry partners across the drug and vaccine manufacturing supply chain, including manufacturers of required raw materials and consumables, developers of innovative manufacturing technologies, and suppliers of fill finish services. This consortium seeks to expand the industrial and manufacturing base for medical countermeasures to include the requisite capabilities, flexibilities, and strategies to secure needed medical supplies to meet the nation’s public health preparedness and response requirements.

The National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals (NIIMBL), a Manufacturing USA Institute, is a public-private partnership focused on advancing biopharmaceutical manufacturing, solving industry challenges, and developing the skilled workforce of the future.

The National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) is a U.S. government research and development (R&D) initiative. Over thirty federal departments, independent agencies, and commissions work together toward the shared vision of a future in which the ability to understand and control matter at the nanoscale leads to ongoing revolutions in technology and industry that benefit society. The NNI enhances interagency coordination of nanotechnology R&D, supports a shared infrastructure, enables leveraging of resources while avoiding duplication, and establishes shared goals, priorities, and strategies that complement agency-specific missions and activities.

The National Network for Manufacturing Innovation (NNMI) is an interagency initiative made up of public-private partnerships devoted to manufacturing excellence. Under the NNMI, each institute will bring together innovative manufacturers, university engineering schools, community colleges, federal agencies, non-profits, and regional and state organizations to invest in unique, but industrially relevant, manufacturing technologies with broad applications. Federal NNMI partners include the U.S. Departments of Energy, Defense, and Commerce, as well as NASA and the National Science Foundation. 

NextFlex, a Manufacturing USA Institute, together with its members, recognizes that the Hybrid Electronics technology base presents critically important opportunities for U.S. manufacturing. NextFlex is addressing the need for a strong U.S. manufacturing base through these three key areas: Expanding the electronics manufacturing ecosystem, providing access to a technology hub for pilot-scale Manufacturing, and building the workforce of tomorrow.

The Crosscutting Technology Development program awards funding to U.S. industry, U.S. universities, and national laboratories to develop innovative solutions to crosscutting nuclear energy technology challenges. One area of research and development (R&D) emphasis is Advanced Methods for Manufacturing, which conducts R&D to accelerate innovations that reduce the cost and schedule of constructing new nuclear plants, and to make fabrication of nuclear power plant components faster, cheaper, and more reliable.

The NIST Office of Advanced Manufacturing (OAM) serves as the headquarters for the interagency Advanced Manufacturing National Program Office to coordinate Manufacturing USA, a network of manufacturing innovation institutes across the country that brings together industry, academia, and the public sector to advance American manufacturing. OAM is also responsible for the NIST-sponsored manufacturing innovation institute, NIIMBL, and other NIST-funded awards to Manufacturing USA.

The Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED) addresses the critical gap for large-scale demonstration projects, which provide an important bridge from research and development to deployment and market acceptance. OCED's mission is to deliver clean energy demonstration projects at scale in partnership with the private sector to accelerate deployment, market adoption, and the equitable transition to a decarbonized energy system.

The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) is working to build a clean energy economy that benefits all Americans. EERE’s mission is to accelerate the research, development, demonstration, and deployment of technologies and solutions to equitably transition America to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions economy-wide

The Building Technologies Office (BTO) develops, demonstrates, and accelerates the adoption of cost-effective technologies, techniques, tools and services that enable high-performing, energy-efficient and demand-flexible residential and commercial buildings in both the new and existing buildings markets, in support of an equitable transition to a decarbonized energy system by 2050, starting with a decarbonized power sector by 2035. 

The Office of International Trade's mission is to enhance the ability of small businesses to compete in the global marketplace. As the U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA’s) office for the support of small business international trade development, the Office of International Trade works in cooperation with other federal agencies and public- and private-sector groups to encourage small business exports and to assist small businesses seeking to export. Through U.S. Export Assistance Centers, SBA district offices and a variety of service-provider partners, we direct and coordinate SBA's ongoing export initiatives in an effort to encourage small businesses going global.

The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation furthers the priorities of the National Defense Strategy by supporting the readiness and resiliency of military installations and defense communities across the country. Many states, territories and communities across the country support the mission of the DoD. Some are home to military bases, while others manufacture the products and provide the services necessary for national defense. Various programs are available through the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation.

Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains (MESC) plays a critical and unique role in catalyzing investments in America’s energy future to support the re-shoring, skilling, and scaling of U.S. manufacturing across energy supply chains. MESC addresses critical vulnerabilities in U.S. energy supply chains, serves as the frontline of clean energy deployment, and accelerates America’s transition to a resilient, equitable energy future through direct investments in manufacturing capacity and workforce development. MESC also develops and provides the energy supply chain focused analytical tools needed to inform programs and investments across the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. government, and the private sector by identifying gaps, vulnerabilities, and other needs across U.S. clean energy supply chains.

The Textiles, Consumer Goods, and Materials (TCGM) strives to advance the global competitiveness of our assigned industries through the development and execution of international trade and investment policies and promotion strategies. TCGM is comprised of four industry offices: the Office of Consumer Goods, the Office of Textiles and Apparel, the Office of Material Industries, and the Office of Critical Minerals and Metals.

The Office of the Secretary of Defense Manufacturing Technology Program’s Manufacturing Education and Workforce Development (M-EWD) Program’s mission is to work alongside regional ecosystems to develop and enhance already established education systems to assist in the creation of a high-performance manufacturing workforce ready to support the needs of the defense industrial base.

The Office of the Secretary of Defense's (OSD) Manufacturing Science and Technology Program (MSTP) is a research and development investment portfolio focused on a set of identified joint, defense-critical, and sometimes high-risk manufacturing technology areas.

PowerAmerica, a Manufacturina USA Institute, connects many of the world’s leading wide bandgap  semiconductor manufacturers and end-users with experts from research universities and government labs. PowerAmerica is a member-driven consortium of industry, academia, and national labs — managed by North Carolina State University and headquartered on its Centennial Campus — accelerating the commercialization of energy-efficient silicon carbide and gallium nitride power semiconductor chips and electronics.

The Rapid Advancement in Process Intensification Deployment (RAPID) Institute, a Manufacturing USA Institute, focuses on breakthrough technologies to dramatically improve the energy efficiency of novel manufacturing processes and enable the development of modular processes. RAPID leverages approaches to modular chemical process intensification  — such as combining multiple process steps such as mixing, reaction, and separation into a single more complex and intensified process — with the goal of improving productivity and efficiency, cutting operating costs, and reducing waste.

The Clean Energy Manufacturing Innovation Institute for Reducing Embodied-energy And Decreasing Emissions (REMADE), a Manufacturing USA Institute, focuses on early stage applied research towards innovations that could dramatically reduce the energy required to manufacture key materials and improve overall manufacturing energy efficiency through increased material reuse, recycling, and remanufacturing. REMADE is the only national institute focused entirely on developing innovative technologies to accelerate the U.S.’s transition to a Circular Economy. In partnership with industry, academia, trade organizations, and national laboratories, REMADE enables early-stage applied research and development that will create jobs, dramatically reduce embodied energy and greenhouse gas emissions, and increase the supply and use of recycled materials.

The Small Business Administration's (SBA) Regional Innovation Cluster (RIC) Initiative supports innovative small businesses and entrepreneur support organizations across the country. RICs build business support networks to help small businesses start and grow. RICs can provide services like accelerators, incubators, market research, and government and commercial contracting assistance.

The Tech Hubs Program aims to strengthen U.S. economic and national security by investing in regions across the country with assets and resources that have the potential to become globally competitive in the technologies and industries of the future. 

Registered Apprenticeship is an industry-driven, high-quality career pathway where employers can develop and prepare their future workforce, and individuals can obtain paid work experience with a mentor, receive progressive wage increases, classroom instruction, and a portable, nationally recognized credential. Registered Apprenticeships are industry-vetted and approved and validated by the U.S. Department of Labor or a State Apprenticeship Agency.

Research and Development (R&D) consortia bring together manufacturers, small and medium businesses, researchers, and state and local governments to facilitate the creation of innovation ecosystems in high-priority technology areas. The technology areas that R&D consortia specialize in are essential to clean energy manufacturing, industrial efficiency and decarbonization.

The Responsible Appliance Disposal (RAD) program is a voluntary partnership program that works with utilities, retailers, manufacturers, state and local government agencies, affiliates, and others to dispose of old refrigerated appliances using the best environmental practices available—going beyond federal requirements to protect Earth’s climate and ozone layer.

SelectTalentUSA helps foreign investor companies build local and state partnerships, adapt their talent-development approaches to the United States, and harness America's comparative advantage – its diverse and skilled workforce.

SelectUSA is the U.S. government program led by the U.S. Department of Commerce that focuses on facilitating job-creating business investment into the United States and raising awareness of the critical role that economic development plays in the U.S. economy. Since its inception, SelectUSA has facilitated more than $200 billion in investment, creating and/or retaining over 200,000 U.S. jobs. 

Small Business Development Centers provide counseling and training to small businesses including working with SBA to develop and provide informational tools to support business start-ups and existing business expansion.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s SmartWay program helps companies advance supply chain sustainability by measuring, benchmarking, and improving freight transportation efficiency.

The Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) accelerates the advancement and deployment of solar technology in support of an equitable transition to a decarbonized economy. 

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Solid-State Lighting (SSL) Program fosters U.S. scientific capabilities, leverages private funds, provides internationally trusted information, and drives innovation to create efficient and flexible lighting products that support health, productivity, and well-being. the Solid-State Lighting Program has acted as a catalyst, bringing together researchers, industry, universities, standards organizations, utilities, energy efficiency programs, building owners, lighting designers, and specifiers to drive SSL technology advances. 

Train. Hope. Rise. Innovate. Venture. Elevate (T.H.R.I.V.E.) Emerging Leaders Reimagined is an executive-level training series intended to give ambitious small business leaders a challenging opportunity to accelerate their growth through targeted training led by motivating leaders in small business development. T.H.R.I.V.E. Emerging Leaders Reimagined revolutionizes the rich history of executive-level training for small businesses poised for growth.

Technology-to-market  activities are designed to accelerate innovative research and development  concepts to become commercially viable and available products. These activities then dovetail with market transformation efforts. Both T2M and market transformation efforts work to increase market feedback and improve the effectiveness of the Building Technologies Office’s investments. 

The Advocacy Center can help exporters of U.S. goods and services compete for and win foreign government procurements. Assistance is available to U.S. businesses across industry for projects ranging from small contracts to large multi-year efforts. Each year, trillions of dollars in foreign government procurement opportunities are put out for competitive bidding.

The Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Operations program enforces the U.S. trade laws by conducting investigations, administrative reviews, new shipper reviews, sunset reviews, changed circumstances reviews, and scope and anticircumvention inquiries. The program also assists in the defense of determinations made by the Enforcement and Compliance office in U.S. courts, the World Trade Organization, and in North American Free Trade Agreement dispute settlement panels, according to program officials. The program conducts investigations in response to U.S. industry petitions alleging that imports are being dumped or unfairly subsidized and that those imports are materially injuring, or threatening material injury to, competing U.S. industry. 

The U.S. Commercial Service (CS), part of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration, offers companies a full range of expertise in international trade. Companies can find assistance locally in more than 100 U.S. CS offices nationwide and in more than 70 international offices.

Located in metropolitan areas throughout the country, U.S. Export Assistance Centers support American small businesses that want to compete globally by exporting.

Foreign-trade zones are designated sites licensed by the Foreign-Trade Zones (FTZ) Board (Commerce Secretary is Chairperson) at which special customs procedures may be used. These procedures allow domestic activity involving foreign items to take place prior to formal customs entry. Duty-free treatment is accorded to items that are re-exported, and duty payment is deferred on items sold in the U.S. market, thus offsetting customs advantages available to overseas producers who compete with producers located in the United States. Subzones/usage-driven sites are approved for a specific company/use. A site that has been granted zone status may not be used for zone activity until the site, or a section thereof has been separately approved for FTZ activation by local U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials and the zone activity remains under the supervision of CBP. FTZ sites and facilities remain within the jurisdiction of local, state, or federal governments or agencies.

Business Programs provide financial backing and technical assistance to stimulate business creation and growth. The programs work through partnerships with public and private community-based organizations and financial institutions to provide financial assistance, business development, and technical assistance to rural businesses. These programs help to provide capital, equipment, space, job training, and entrepreneurial skills that can help to start and/or grow a business.  Business Programs also support the creation and preservation of quality jobs in rural areas.

Activities in windows and building envelope focus on technologies such as highly insulating materials and systems, and methodologies and analysis tools for measurement and validation of building envelope performance, as well as market-enabling efforts such as the creation of an organization responsible for rating, certifying, and labeling fenestration attachment products to better inform consumers.