A Center for Product and Process Development and Commercialization for Small U.S. Manufacturers

Oklahoma State University, Stillwater OK

Investigators

Abstract

0332723 Hoberock This award is to Oklahoma State University to support the activity described below for 36 months. The proposal was submitted in response to the Partnerships for Innovation Program Solicitation (NSF-03521). Partners The partners include Oklahoma State University (Lead Institution), Oklahoma Alliance for Manufacturing Excellence, Oklahoma Technology Commercialization Center, Langston University, Southwest Oklahoma State University, Meridian Technology Center, Klutts Equipment Corporation, Unibridge Corporation, and Bermuda King. The primary objective of this partnership is to facilitate the transformation of knowledge into innovations that will create new wealth and strengthen the regional economy in the area. University partners provide the research and development and the technologically literate workforce and the company partners provide the manufacturing and commercialization. Collaborative product development by the partners is one of the major focuses for the award. The Oklahoma Technology Commercialization Center is the location where faculty, students and industry partners go from product conception to prototype development to manufacturing engineering to manufacturing and commercialization. Potential Economic Impact Oklahoma has a very large number of small rural manufacturing firms that cannot afford the research and development, state-of-the-art rapid prototyping, and manufacturing engineering needed to remain competitive in the global marketplace. The university collaboration provides this capability and a technologically literate workforce that has learned to work with small manufacturers. Oklahoma sees its economic future tied to manufacturing in the rural areas. The proposed effort of knowledge transfer, workforce education and training, and establishment of a strong enabling infrastructure for sustainable innovation will provide jobs and a workforce to perform those jobs will result in economic and societal well being in the state. The effort will improve the competitiveness of the existing manufacturing sector and bring new manufacturing companies into the state. The intellectual merit of the activity lies in advances in knowledge through fundamental research in engineering in general and manufacturing in particular and in providing a more industrially-relevant educational experience for the students through working with the small manufacturers from product conception through design and prototyping to manufacturing engineering. The broader impacts of the activity include educational diversity, educational outreach to industry, and regional economic development to ensure long-term sustainability of economic and societal well being. Underrepresented groups will participate in the activities of the award.