The Advanced Regenerative Manufacturing Institute (ARMI), https://www.dodmantech.com/Institutes/ATB-MII,held
its grand opening at its headquarters in Manchester, NH last month. This
nonprofit organization will sustain a Manufacturing USA Institute, the Advanced
Tissue Biofabrication Manufacturing Innovation Institute (ATB-MII). As a
public-private supported institute, ATB-MII will use its Department of Defense
(DoD) resources to support state-of-the-art manufacturing capability that
strengthens DoD defense essential mission.
ATB-MII will bring together a proactive
collation of research institutions, for-profit and nonprofit organizations,
federal, and state agencies to accelerate innovation relative to the Tissue
Biofabrication Ecosystem to develop technologies, protocols, and procedures
that result in biofabrication full scale manufacturing operations. This effort
will provide support to help bridge the gap between basic/early research and
product development by advancing and scaling critical technologies in the
manufacturing readiness level (MRL) between the 4 to 7 range. As indicated by
Dean K. Kamen, founder of ARMI: ARMI will make practical the large-scale
manufacturing of engineered tissues and tissue related technologies, to benefit
existing industries and grow new ones; and ATB MII's website states: The
ATB-MII will provide shared assets to help entities – particularly small
manufacturers – access cutting-edge capabilities and equipment, creating an
unparalleled environment to educate and train students and workers in Advanced
Tissue Biofabrication skills.
The cell phone photo shown above and snapped
during Dean Kamen's presentation at ARMI's inaugural, http://spectrum.ieee.org/the-human-os/biomedical/devices/dean-kamen-announces-organbuilding-institute,
event captures ATB-MII's overall intent. The presentation side's title
("ARMI Has Solid Backing to Turn a Fragmented Field Into a Robust
Industry") focused the audience of ATB-MII partners to a large extent
on the impressive group of research universities that will tackle the
bioscience, bioengineering, and manufacturing issues involved in completing ATB
MII's goals. However, the triad of logos as arranged in the slide's lower right
corner also highlights ATB-MII’s intent: "to create an unparalleled
environment to educate and train students and workers in Advanced Tissue
Biofabrication skills."
As long-time FLATE supporters and FLATE Focus
readers, we hope that you noticed our logo on Dean Kamen's slide as soon as you
saw the photo of his partner display slide!! However, for Florida's role in
developing technicians and skilled operators to support bio-related
manufacturing in our state, it is the MEP, FloridaMakes, FLATE cluster that is
important. What curriculum content and/or course of study should be installed
in the Florida College System A.S. degree programs to produce the new
technicians with the knowledge and skillset Florida manufacturers will
need? What training programs and content should be created that can be
delivered directly to the current technician and operator workforce that
supports this Florida manufacturing sector? How will what Florida learns
about developing this ATB-MII supportive workforce be interconnected with
bio-manufacturer's across the country?
These are three important questions with
answers yet to come but NIST's Manufacturing Extension Partnership,
FloridaMakes, and FLATE are federal and state agencies in Florida that will
ultimately provide the answer to those questions. As a first step, FLATE and
FloridaMakes are developing a joint operational strategy which will produce an
effective mechanism to efficiently meet the high-tech manufacturing workforce
Florida needs from both the new student and current workforce talent
pool. "Stay tuned" to future FLATE Focus issues for exciting
developments and details.