LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The University of Louisville has won a grant that will help launch a new statewide manufacturing resource center.

What You Need To Know

  •  UofL earned a $13 million grant to build a statewide manufacturing center

  •  The Kentucky Manufacturing Extension Partnership will be within the UofL Office of Research and Innovation

  •  The new center is meant to help manufacturers increase productivity and create new jobs

  • Scott Broughton will lead the new center

The center, which will be called the Kentucky Manufacturing Extension Partnership (KMEP) will be within the UofL Office of Research and Innovation. The goal of the new center is to help manufacturers increase productivity, create and keep new jobs, and compete in new markets globally.

The U.S. Department of Commerce is giving UofL up to $13 million for the project.

UofL Interim President Lori Stewart Gonzalez said in a statement, “Business and industry leaders–from CEOs at multinational corporations to entrepreneurs ramping up operations on their first viable idea–know that UofL has the resources they can draw upon to take ideas from concept to reality. The Kentucky Manufacturing Extension Partnership will help small-and medium-sized businesses accelerate and strengthen growth and competitiveness in the global marketplace.”

 KMEP will join the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) Network, which consists of 51 MEP Centers in 50 states and Puerto Rico. The DOC’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) leads the MEP.

“As a research powerhouse institution, UofL is committed to making a meaningful impact on the economy of the Commonwealth,” said Kevin Gardner, executive vice president for research and innovation. “Through KMEP, we will leverage the resources of our campus to help Kentucky manufacturers grow and thrive.”

Scott Broughton, director of manufacturing and engagement in the Office of Research and Innovation, will lead KMEP. Broughton has experience in manufacturing and business development and has led Kentucky’s previous extension partnership.

“UofL has vast resources, technologies, capabilities, training in operational improvement, etc. that manufacturers simply do not know are available to them,” Broughton said. “Through the Kentucky Manufacturing Extension Partnership, I look forward to connecting manufacturers with those resources to solve problems and innovate.”

UofL has a history of receiving grants aimed at helping manufacturers adopt additive manufacturing and the smart, connected technologies of Industry 4.0.

“One of our driving goals is to build supports, like these, to better connect with and serve our industrial partners,” said Will Metcalf, associate vice president for research and innovation. “KMEP is another step toward that goal, and we look forward to being a resource for Kentucky manufacturers.”

 

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