The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine shall appoint an ad hoc committee to plan and organize a fast-track consensus study based principally on a workshop that addresses issues associated with the long-term sustainability of the Manufacturing Innovation Institutes (MIIs) now supported by the Department of Defense (DoD), and to provide input for a potential, longer-term National Academies’ activity that will address similar issues as they relate to all MIIs. The workshop will bring together stakeholders and other interested parties and experts to:
• Consider the business models used to stand-up and operate, on a long-term basis, the eight existing DoD MIIs and the degree to which these MIIs have contributed to DoD goals;
• Evaluate lessons-learned in developing and implementing the public-private partnerships adopted in those MIIs and what changes may be needed for their long-term sustainability in contributing to DoD goals;
• Evaluate the potential values and costs that would accrue to DoD from further long-term engagement with the MIIs under various scenarios and funding structures;
• Discuss similar public-private partnerships developed in other countries; and
• Identify topics that could be addressed in a follow-on consensus study that would be designed to conduct a national review of all MIIs being operated under the auspices of DoD, DOE and NIST and to develop advice for addressing their long-term sustainability and the productive engagement by the agencies with them.
The output of this suggested fast track project will be:
(1) A workshop proceedings prepared by a designated rapporteur; and
(2) A short report that:
• Draws from the information gathered during the workshop and other information sources, as needed, and provides findings, options, and, if the information gathered justifies them, recommendations for DoD to consider in developing its long-term role with existing and potential future MIIs sponsored by DoD; and
• Identifies possible topics and a potential scope for a follow-on National Academies consensus study that will address similar issues, as they relate to all of the MIIs.