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As President Obama said during his final State of the Union Address, American manufacturing is surging with almost 900,000 new jobs created in the past six years. While that's incredible progress, how do we take manufacturing to the next level? The answer could be found in the National Network for Manufacturing Innovation (NNMI).

The Institutes within this network are where businesses and government work together to commercialize and drive down the cost of advanced manufacturing technologies that make products and production processes better.  There are now eight Institutes, each focusing on a specific technology, each overseen by different federal agencies. The Energy Department currently spearheads:

• The Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation led by University of Tennessee Knoxville — This Institute is accelerating development of state-of-the-art advanced composites such as carbon fiber materials that are three times as strong and twice as light as the lightest metals, taking clean energy technologies like wind turbines to new heights.
• Power America led by North Carolina State University — Power America is developing the next generation of advanced power electronics, which can make everything from electronic devices and industrial motors to electric vehicles and power grids more energy-efficient than ever.
• The upcoming Institute on Smart Manufacturing — This Institute will develop advanced technologies to slash deployment costs for sensors, controls, platforms, modeling and other smart manufacturing tech. The Energy Department will also establish up to two more advanced manufacturing Institutes this year.

These Institutes are on their way to making a big impact on American manufacturing. Here are three reasons why:

1. THEY'RE PROVIDING LEADERSHIP.