Future Manufacturing (FM)

The Future Manufacturing program supports fundamental research, education, and training of a future workforce to overcome scientific, technological, educational, economic, and social barriers in order to catalyze new manufacturing capabilities that do not exist today. The program seeks inventive approaches to invigorate the manufacturing ecosystem and seed nascent future industries. It focuses on enabling new, potentially transformative manufacturing capabilities rather than improving current manufacturing. The program supports research in three thrust areas: Future Cyber Manufacturing Research, Future Eco Manufacturing Research, and Future Biomanufacturing Research. The program emphasizes convergence research approaches involving cross-disciplinary partnerships among engineers, scientists, mathematicians, social and behavioral scientists, STEM education researchers, and experts in arts and humanities. Two tracks are available: Future Manufacturing Research Grants (FMRG) up to $3,000,000 for up to four years, and Future Manufacturing Seed Grants (FMSG) up to $500,000 for up to two years.