The U.S. Small Business Administration is offering up to $20 million in targeted and mission-aligned awards prize awards that will bring innovation to the country’s manufacturing base and rapidly expand production capacity in areas identified as critical supply chain chokepoints. The overall objective is to deliver measurable, near-term improvements by directing resources toward:
– Existing suppliers with the ability to scale
– High-impact supply chain gaps or chokepoints
– Actions that achieve defined milestones or produce tangible output within a defined timeframe
Small businesses comprise 98% of all manufacturing in the United States and account for approximately half of our GDP. A significant portion of the U.S. manufacturing base was offshored in the last several decades. There is now a concerted effort to bring back this base and strengthen our critical supply chains. However, the U.S. cannot reshore dated manufacturing production processes and technologies. In restoring our manufacturing base, we must also bring innovation that will drive efficiencies and scale at a rate to effectively compete with our nation’s adversaries.
Awards will be made to small businesses based on a detailed review of each submission for factors including a demonstrated operating history, proven technical capability, relevance to identified supply chain gaps and chokepoints, creditworthiness and the ability to achieve measurable outcomes.
