The U.S. Department of Commerce has stopped funding 10 Manufacturing Extension Partnership programs.
The National Institute for Standards and Technology division, which manages the MEP network, notified affected centers last week that their contracts would not be renewed after ending in late March. The program supports small and medium-sized U.S. manufacturers looking to grow or make operational improvements.
The move impacted programs in Delaware, Hawaii, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Mississippi, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota and Wyoming.
The Wisconsin MEP Network — which includes the WMEP and the Manufacturing Outreach Center at UW-Stout — has created more than $2.5 billion in impact and helped to create or retain 3,962 jobs, according to Buckley Brinkman, executive director/CEO of WMEP. WMEP worked with 310 manufacturers and has reached an additional 400 through webinars, information sessions and other less formal offerings.
In fiscal year 2024, the national network helped manufacturers achieve $15 billion in new or retained sales and $2.6 billion in cost savings, according to NIST. It also created or retained more than 108,000 jobs during the period. The 51 MEP programs are funded with a one to one match from federal and revenue from other sources.
In Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation is a kay strategic partner and provides funding and all manufacturers pay for services.
“We believe they must have some skin in the game to maximize results from the projects,” Brinkman said.
Congress appropriated $175 million for MEP in March, which Trump signed into law. There are four more contract renewal deadlines for the remaining 41 centers: July 1, 2025; Oct. 1, 2025; Jan. 1, 2026; and March 12, 2026, according to the House Subcommittee on Research and Technology.
