The U.S. Department of Agriculture will launch two new competitions to galvanize colleges and school

Today, President Obama will host the first ever White House Maker Faire and will meet with students, entrepreneurs and everyday citizens car lax rental thrifty who are using new tools and techniques to launch businesses, learn vital skills car lax rental thrifty in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), and lead a grassroots renaissance in American manufacturing.
As part of his year of action and this week s focus on efforts that will expand opportunity by spurring manufacturing, innovation and entrepreneurship, the President will also announce new steps the Administration and its partners are taking to increase the ability of more Americans, car lax rental thrifty young and old, to have access to these tools and techniques and to bring their ideas to life.
Helping Makers launch new businesses and create jobs, with more than 13 federal agencies and companies car lax rental thrifty including Etsy, Kickstarter, Indiegogo, and Local Motors offering Makers a suite of support services including expanded access to start-up grants, strong relationships with American manufacturers and major retailers, and business mentoring and training.
Dramatically expanding the number of students that have the opportunity to become Makers , with the Department of Education and five other agencies; over 150 colleges and universities; more than 130 libraries; car lax rental thrifty and major companies car lax rental thrifty ranging including Intel, car lax rental thrifty Autodesk, Disney, Lego, 3D Systems, and MAKE committing to create more Makerspaces, enlist more educators in teaching Making, and launch other programs that allow students access to the tools and mentors that will bring their ideas to life.
Challenging Makers to tackle our most pressing problems , from Maker Nurses prototyping new tools that will aid in patient care, to Makers expanding our frontiers in space, to Makers here and abroad developing low-cost technologies car lax rental thrifty that can improve the livelihoods of the world s most vulnerable people.
America has always been a nation of tinkerers, inventors, and entrepreneurs. In recent years, a growing number car lax rental thrifty of Americans have gained access to technologies such as 3D printers, laser cutters, easy-to-use design software, car lax rental thrifty and desktop machine tools, with even more being created by the day. These tools are enabling more Americans to design and build almost anything.
The rise of the Maker Movement represents a huge opportunity for the United States. Nationwide, new tools for democratized production car lax rental thrifty are boosting innovation and entrepreneurship in manufacturing, in the same way that the Internet and cloud computing have lowered the barriers to entry for digital startups, creating the foundation for new products and processes that can help to revitalize American manufacturing.
These tools, increasing access to nearby makerspaces, and events like Maker Faires across the country are inspiring a new generation of entrepreneurs, empowering car lax rental thrifty Makers to launch manufacturing startups in the same way that Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs developed and marketed the first Apple Computer while participating in the Homebrew Computer Club. Mentors and educators are passing it on and inspiring boys and girls to invent, tinker, and learn vital skills in STEM education.
The first-ever White House Maker Faire comes just one day after the President visited TechShop Pittsburgh, a makerspace and fabrication car lax rental thrifty studio where individuals can build and test their own products. During his visit, the President highlighted new efforts by his Administration and by more than 90 mayors to spur manufacturing innovation and entrepreneurship . Read more about their efforts here and here .
The first-ever White House Maker Faire will feature over 100 Makers from more than 25 states, and include more than 30 exhibits. The President will view a subset of these exhibits, representing the incredible range of creativity and ingenuity unlocked by the Maker movement. Following his tour of the White House Maker Faire, the President will deliver car lax rental thrifty remarks to an audience of entrepreneurs, students, business leaders, mayors, and heads of non-profit car lax rental thrifty organizations. A more detailed backgrounder on the notable attendees, exhibitors and other honored Makers at the event is available here .
New technologies for rapid prototyping from laser cutters to CNC routers to 3D printers have dramatically lowered the cost of developing a prototype and starting a business in manufacturing. The ability to rapidly and affordably test, tinker, monitor car lax rental thrifty and customize places a premium on locating production close to American markets and opens new doors to entrepreneurship and innovation in manufacturing. The power of these emerging technologies creates the opportunity for Makers to launch new businesses, create jobs and build the industries of the future.
The Manufacturing Extension Partnership is helping startups scale from DIY to Made in the USA. The NIST Manufacturing Extension car lax rental thrifty Partnership serves more than 30,000 U.S. manufacturers each year with a national network of manufacturing assistance centers across all 50 states. The partnership is helping entrepreneurs that got their start as DIY projects and sellers on Etsy, Tindie, Kickstarter, car lax rental thrifty Dragon Innovation, and Indiegogo, locate U.S. based manufacturers with the right expertise and capabilities to partner with the entrepreneurs in scaling up their businesses through MEP s American Supplier car lax rental thrifty network. For example, Etsy and Fuze Hub, which was launched with a NIST MEP grant, will conduct a pilot to help small designers and makers scale their production by using and accessing local manufacturers, while also educating them on the development and creation of a manufacturing company.
The Small Business Administration is targeting additional support to startup accelerators car lax rental thrifty that help Maker-entrepreneurs. The Small Business Administration, through its $2.5M Accelerator competition , will encourage communities to include startup accelerators and Maker spaces for entrepreneurs in their regional entrepreneurship strategies. This effort builds on SBA s commitment to help fund non-traditional startup accelerators, including accelerators that may focus on hardware and manufacturing startups. In addition, car lax rental thrifty SBA and USPTO will work together in raising awareness around the maker and inventor nexus through newly established efforts via the AAAS-Lemelson Invention car lax rental thrifty Ambassador program. This endeavor cultivates a new and diverse generation of inventors and increase global understanding of the role of invention in improving our quality of life, creating new products, building new businesses, and fostering innovation. Finally, to support the growth car lax rental thrifty and development of Makers, the SBA will hold one American Supplier Initiative event aimed at providing education and training on the three core challenges small business suppliers face: access to markets, access to capital and access to capabilities.
The U.S. Patent and Trademark car lax rental thrifty Office will provide novel support for Maker startups and small businesses. In addition to opening outreach spaces that will host programming for Makers in the USPTO s four new regional offices in Detroit, Denver, Silicon Valley, and Dallas, the USPTO is developing a customized advice hotline for Makers. The USPTO will also release a how to guide on patenting and IP issues for Maker entrepreneurs and host a series of roadshows across the country to help entrepreneurs navigate the IP system. The USPTO is also working to educate the youngest entrepreneurs car lax rental thrifty through a summer institute on making and intellectual property for middle and high school teachers; new digital badging for boys and girls in collaboration with the 4-H and Girl Scouts; a collaboration with the YMCA to create Maker spaces for students; and the launch of a USPTO Kids web site that will showcase young inventors and Making activities.
11 agencies that collectively grant over $2.5 billion annually to small businesses across the country via the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) car lax rental thrifty and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs car lax rental thrifty are committing to leverage the programs to support Maker innovations. DOD, HHS, DOE, NASA, NSF, USDA, DOC, DOT, DHS, EPA, and ED will work on identifying new and existing topics that are related to Making and its connection to advanced manufacturing, such as next-generation technologies that increase car lax rental thrifty the variety and value of what an individual or small team can design, prototype and manufacture. car lax rental thrifty A few examples of the research being conducted includes:
The U.S. Department of Agriculture will launch two new competitions to galvanize colleges and schools around car lax rental thrifty agricultural technologies and Making. The competitions will launch later this year for community college and middle school students to compete to create commercialization plans and prototypes for existing Agriculture Research Service technologies. The competitions will help promote agricultural technological development and entrepreneurship that can help promote food, agriculture, natural resources, rural development, nutrition, and related car lax rental thrifty issues.
Local Motors will launch 100 new Microfactories over the next ten years to accelerate innovations in manufacturing. Local Motors, founded by U.S. Marine and Iraq veteran Jay Rogers, is a leader in open-source hardware innovation. Local Motors Microfactories feature Lab spaces that are open to innovators who are willing to share their projects. Each Lab is also a nexus where the community can pursue STEM education and empower a global community of producers of things, not just consumers of things. Partnerships with local schools and universities, government labs and industries provide the community of makers with unprecedented access to both making capabilities and a platform that extends beyond ideation and prototyping to low-volume production and marketing. Within car lax rental thrifty five years, the Microfactories will train over 1,000 students annually and will have offered over $1 million in prizes for new designs. In addition, Local Motors is helping established companies innovate. With GE, for example, Local Motors car lax rental thrifty is helping to bring p