UTK-led Consortium Receives $5M DoD Grant

Source: Teknovation.biz | Tom Ballard | September 27, 2021

The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) has announced the awarding of five grants totaling approximately $25 million under the “Defense Manufacturing Community Support Program” administered by its Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation, and a University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK)-led consortium is one of the recipients.

According to the DoD announcement, the awards followed a competitive selection process culminating in the designation of these communities as “Defense Manufacturing Communities.” With an additional $11.7 million in non-federal funding, the five projects are focused on critical skills, facilities, workforce development, research and development, and small business support in order to strengthen the national security innovation base.

The UTK-led “Southeastern Advanced Machine Tools Network (SEAMTN),”  with total funding of $8,624,399, is focused on addressing next-generation machine tools and smart manufacturing processes; create an education and training pipeline to recruit and prepare the future workforce needed to operate these new technologies; and integrate academic, government, and corporate partners to translate these advances into industry leadership and economic impact.