Manufacturing Readiness Grants

Applications must be for a manufacturer planning to make capital investment in the form of smart manufacturing technologies within their Indiana operation. While there is no size limitation for applicants, small- and medium-sized manufacturers (<500 employees) are heavily favored. The degree to which an applicant is a manufacturer (manufacturing intensity) and relationship to Indiana are also significant considerations.

Advanced manufacturing in Indiana is diverse in many ways, and this has been reflected with a wide variety of project opportunities that have been funded to date. Each project will be evaluated on its own unique merits and context as described by the applicant within their application submission, which is encouraged to be as detailed and descriptive as possible.

The MRG program is intended to incentivize a project investment that would not otherwise happen but for the grant. Any investments or commitments to purchase for otherwise eligible capital equipment prior to application date will disqualify that equipment from reimbursement considerations.

Projects should directly affect manufacturing processes and focus on investments in commercial-ready equipment through established vendors. The equipment should be beyond ‘advanced’ in nature, i.e. more technologically intensive and broadly innovative than mere upgrades via standard automation, increased capacity, tighter tolerances, improved fabrication techniques, or other incremental improvements that are common for the applicant’s sector.

Strong applications offer a detailed description for how the applicant is undertaking an initiative that will be transformative beyond the status quo for themselves and competitors. The equipment should credibly leverage technologies such as industrial internet of things (IIoT), sensor technology, COBOTS, additive manufacturing (3D printing), big data and analytics, cybersecurity, machine learning, artificial intelligence (AI), digital twin, advanced modeling, blockchain, autonomous robotics or vehicles, augmented, virtual, or mixed reality, cloud computing, and advanced communications (5G, etc)

Applications must be submitted through this portal when the program is actively receiving applications. Once submitted, the application will undergo a peer review process by a committee of volunteers. Each application will be reviewed by multiple committee members. These individual reviews are then aggregated together into a composite result to be discussed at the next regularly scheduled committee meeting. The outcome of committee discussion is a consensus for a funding recommendation offered to the IEDC. The IEDC takes the recommendation under advisement and performs further diligence before making a final funding decision. Conexus notifies the applicant once a decision is made.e0

Applications and their support materials are seen by Conexus staff, the IEDC, and the committee of volunteers who peer review the applications. The committee is comprised of a diverse, statewide, multi-sector and distinguished group of Conexus Smart Manufacturing Fellows. The fellows are subject matter experts on technology deployment within manufacturing environments. All are bound by confidentiality and comply with a policy for recusal in the event of conflict of interest.

The grant is intended to incentivize a project investment that would not otherwise happen but for the grant. The grant is unable to reimburse project expenditures incurred or committed prior to the date of application. The application should demonstrate how the project, either its scope or timeline, is significantly dependent upon or would be enabled/enhanced by the grant. Projects that can be immediately started and quickly executed pending an award are preferred.