Over the years, many different traits have tried to define human beings, but honestly, none have done a better job than that tendency of ours to improve at a continuous clip. This tendency to grow, no matter the situation, has empowered the world to hit upon some huge milestones, with technology emerging as quite a major member of the group. The reason why we hold technology in such a high regard is, by and large, predicated upon its skill-set, which guided us towards a reality that nobody could have ever imagined otherwise. Nevertheless, if we look beyond the surface for a second, it should become clear how the whole runner was also very much inspired from the way we applied those skills across a real world environment. The latter component, in fact, did a lot to give the creation a spectrum-wide presence and initiate a full-blown tech revolution. Of course, this revolution then went on to scale up the human experience through some outright unique avenues, but even after achieving a feat so notable, technology will somehow continue to bring forth the right goods. The same has turned more and more evident in recent times, and assuming one new discovery ends up with the desired impact, it will only put that trend on a higher pedestal moving forward.

LIFT, the Detroit-based Department of Defense manufacturing innovation institute, has officially signed a new cooperative agreement with the Department of Defense Manufacturing Technology (ManTech) Program to extend their join effort towards improving the manufacturing landscape. Under the agreed terms, LIFT will look to continue its work as a Department of Defense Manufacturing Innovation Institute. This includes ensuring active participate in the Manufacturing USA network, which is focused on “materials and manufacturing technologies to advance the systems engineering approach needed for the design, build, test, and manufacture of components.” The agreement further mandates LIFT to conceive advanced materials, along with new-age manufacturing protocols. Apart from that, the organization is also expected to facilitate systems engineering and the integration of materials characterization captured through computational tools, such as Integrated Computational Materials Engineering (ICME) across different materials applications to benefit the DoD and the national industrial manufacturing base.

“LIFT has continued to show the value it promised the Department of Defense in 2014 when we committed to establishing the institute in Detroit,” said Tracy Frost, director of the Office of the Secretary of Defense’s Manufacturing Technology Program. “Our partnership with LIFT adds value to our MII network to accelerate technologies, build advanced manufacturing ecosystems and educate and train the needed workforce, fulfilling our mission to get critical technologies to the Warfighter at speed and scale.”

Now, if we talk on a more granular level, then LIFT’s responsibilities will likely begin with acting as a trusted advisor for small and medium-sized manufacturers to help them embrace the next era of manufacturing. Next, the organization will ensure that companies are able to pick emerging concepts and take them to the point of commercialization as early as possible. Interestingly, the partnership in question will also try and leverage LIFT’s sandbox simulation capabilities to explain manufacturers the benefits of connecting materials, processes, systems, and talent.

“Our continued partnership with the Department of Defense solidifies LIFT as a national asset and the national hub for the design, development, verification and validation of advanced materials and manufacturing processes,” said Nigel Francis, CEO and executive director at LIFT. “The challenges we are addressing from manufacturing technology and talent perspectives can only truly be addressed through public-private partnerships like we operate here at LIFT and I am looking forward to what we can achieve together over the next five years.”

To make the whole development all the more valuable, LIFT has renewed its commitment to create new venues, tools, and teaching techniques. This, at the very core, will have the company’s competency-based, technology-infused talent development program, which seemingly offers value to everyone from high school and college students to rookie employees and veterans.  Rounding off the line-up of highlights is LIFT’s partnerships across the federal government that help in carrying out efficient contracting combined with expert program management.