Build & Grow Relationships

The best policies are based on data-driven research, using engaged, diverse stakeholders and by fostering thought that motivates people to think regionally. It is a process that CREC has done successfully since 2009, and it has helped expand our client base and grow communities. Clients vary from single municipalities and private-sector firms:

• Cities • Think tanks
• States • National organizations

Client Profile

National Institute of Standards & Technology – Manufacturing Extension Partnership

The Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) is a program of regional centers that assist, smaller, U.S.-based manufacturing companies in identifying and adopting new technologies. MEP operates under the auspices of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) – a non-regulatory measuring standards laboratory housed within the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Website: http://www.nist.gov/mep/

Project Catalogue

Building a Strong State-Federal Partnership to Support Manufacturing
Start Date: Oct 2002 — End Date: Ongoing

CREC worked with several partners, including the State Science & Technology Institute, to develop a strong support structure for the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (NIST MEP) program as it seeks to help manufacturers become globally competitive.

Assessing the Advanced Manufacturing Jobs and Innovation Accelerator Challenge (AMJIAC) Initiative
Start Date: Oct 2015 — End Date: Oct 2016

CREC worked with NIST MEP to develop a survey instrument and conduct phone and in-person interviews with AMJIAC awardees. The questions covered the life of the grant, from development of proposals to the completion of projects. CREC then synthesized findings from these interviews—as well as a document review of project proposals, integrated work plans, and […]

Redesigning Federal Manufacturing Assistance Programs
Start Date: Jan 2009 — End Date: Dec 2009

In collaboration with Michael Stone and Associates, the Center for Regional Economic Competitiveness served as co-leader of a team examining ways that an increased federal investment in manufacturing assistance might leverage greater economic impact and more job creation activity. The project was designed to identify key priorities, service delivery options, and potential partners.

Outreach to State Policymakers
Start Date: Feb 2008 — End Date: Oct 2009

The Center for Regional Economic Competitiveness collaborated with the State Science & Technology Institute (SSTI) to facilitate a series of focus group sessions with key state policy leaders. The focus groups provided an opportunity for NIST officials to provide an overview of their program priorities and to gain critical insights from state technology officials about how those […]

Impact of Manufacturing
Start Date: Oct 2003 — End Date: Oct 2004

Working with six state economic development research departments, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), and the Council for Community & Economic Research (C2ER) staff is coordinating a collaborative project designed to assess the impact of manufacturing sectors on the US and state economies as well as evaluate the impact of MEP services on the […]

Project Updates

Strategic Positioning of MEP Centers in Providing Workforce Services
January 6, 2023

Small Manufacturing Enterprises (SMEs) fuel the U.S. economy. They compete through innovation, energy, and agility in response to rapidly changing global supply chain requirements and they take risks by introducing new processes and products. The vital role of SMEs, however, depends on a strong manufacturing workforce, and the challenges that SMEs face are particularly acute […]

CREC Attends SSTI & NIST-MEP Kickoff Meeting in Gaithersburg, Maryland
July 27, 2016

Ken Poole and Catherine Katona met SSTI President, Dan Berglund, and NIST-MEP Director, Carroll Thomas, and the MEP team to kickoff another 5-year cooperative agreement with CREC in Gaithersburg, Maryland.