The U.S. National Photonics Initiative (NPI http://www.lightourfuture.org/) will be holding a webinar on June 6, 2014 to provide information on a Request for Information (RFI) announced on June 2, 2014 by the US Department of Defense (DoD). The RFI is the first step in the process of creating a new public-private Institute for Manufacturing Innovation (IMI), as part of the President's National Network for Manufacturing Innovation (NNMI). (Note: the NPI webinar is not affiliated with Laser Focus World's own series of webcasts or other PennWell Corp. webcasts.)
In the RFI, the DoD lists technological areas under consideration; photonics is one of these areas. To see the RFI, go to: https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=20149a9325aab69ace3bf57124df053a&tab=core&_cview=0
Call to action
The webinar is a call to action and will let attendees know how they can get involved as volunteers with the NPI. The webinar will give the photonics community an overview of the RFI process and what's required, and will provide more information on how NPI can be a resource.
A note issued by the IEEE Photonics Society (Piscataway, NJ) is helping to publicize this webinar.
"This is the first -- and likely our only -- opportunity to form an optics and photonics IMI and is of tremendous importance to industry, academia, and state and local governments," reads the note. "By focusing federal and private sector investment and innovation through a well-defined, regional effort, an IMI will help ensure the continued role of optics and photonics in U.S. manufacturing and in our existing and future workforce.
"The National Photonics Initiative (NPI) role in this process is to ensure optics and photonics community successfully responds to the RFI and makes the case for an optics and photonics NNMI institute. Previous IMI federal awards have been for as much as $70 million over five years with nonfederal funds matching at 1:1 and higher and with as many as 60 to 70 companies, universities, nonprofit organizations and state and local governments cost-sharing and participating in the endeavor.
"The NPI is providing essential information for all members of the optics and photonics community in the U.S. to better ensure successful responses to the DoD's RFI."
The RFI and NPI Overview webinar will be held from 2:00 to 3:00 pm EDT on Friday, June 6. To register for the webinar, go to: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/462170968
Participants must register; space is limited.
Special session at CLEO 2014
In addition, a special overview session will be held on this topic at CLEO: 2014 (June 8-13, 2014; San Jose, CA). The session will be held on Thursday, June 10 between 5:00 and 6:30 pm PDT in Room 231A of the San Jose Convention Center. CLEO is put on by the Optical Society (OSA), the American Physical Society (APS), and IEEE
The overview session will cover the material presented during the June 6 webinar along with any new developments.
For information on the National Network for Manufacturing Innovation (NNMI), go to: http://manufacturing.gov/nnmi.html