NSF Engines Development Award: Advancing manufacturing micro-factory innovations in tribal communities (NM, AZ)

This Regional Innovation Engines Development Award is focused on addressing a key void in technology-based economic development: a failure to involve tribal communities in technology transfer and advanced manufacturing. The pilot program will develop distributed manufacturing micro-factories and technology centers in the Navajo Nation, which will enable these remote rural tribal communities to participate in emerging supply chain operations in the space industry, which is growing in the Southwest. These micro-factories will be implemented in a manner consistent with tribal community values. The region of service is the Navajo Nation, which includes the states of New Mexico and Arizona. Navajo Technical University (NTU) and Arizona State University (ASU) will work collaboratively to develop a plan for an operational ecosystem. NTU has strong technical and training capabilities complemented by ASU's technical, economic development, and technology transfer strengths. The project will establish a network of micro-factories to benefit from space technology supply chain opportunities and provide a roadmap for Tribal adoption of digital infrastructure and digital manufacturing technologies that generate revenue and create jobs. The effort will increase community awareness of employment and entrepreneurial opportunities. Working with newly elected Navajo Nation leadership, the project takes a comprehensive approach by leveraging tribal, higher education, and industry resources to create a sustainable manufacturing ecosystem that furthers tribal economic prosperity goals. NTU's Center for Advanced Manufacturing will be the hub of the network of advanced manufacturing sites. The ASU School of Manufacturing Systems and Networks will equip sites with state-of-the-art technology. ASU will establish a legal framework that will facilitate the contracting process with prospective industry partners. This effort will develop industry and investor connections, help foster an entrepreneurial mindset among tribal members, and facilitate the development of entrepreneurial support mechanisms that attract additional private investment needed to build out the manufacturing network. Through this Development Award, the project team will establish a roadmap within which space industry supply chain opportunities, production facility requirements, workforce technical skill needs, and overall management and coordination mechanisms are identified in preparation for a full NSF Engine. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.