MEP Center State Competition (Base Cooperative Agreement)

NIST periodically re-competes the MEP Center designation for each state on rolling 5-year cycles. A NOFO is issued for a specific cohort of states; eligible applicants are nonprofits, universities, and state agencies located in the eligible state. Only one award is made per state — the winner becomes the sole federally-designated MEP Center for that state. Award amounts are set per-state based on manufacturing base size and range from roughly $3.6M (West Virginia) to $34.4M (New York) over a 5-year federal period. Awardees must match at least 50% of total program costs from state/local government, private entities, and client fees. A 5-year performance-based continuation is available. The FY2026 competition (NOFO 2026-NIST-MEP-01) covered 8 states — ID, IL, MN, NJ, NY, WA, WV, WI — and closed January 5, 2026.

Each grant below is a distinct funding opportunity with its own eligibility, scope, and deliverables.