§ 18814. State manufacturing leadership

• (a) The Secretary may provide financial assistance on a competitive basis to States for the establishment of programs to be used as models for supporting the implementation of smart manufacturing technologies.
• (b)
  • (1) To be eligible to receive financial assistance under this section, a State shall submit to the Secretary an application at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may require.
  • (2) The Secretary shall evaluate an application for financial assistance under this section on the basis of merit using criteria identified by the Secretary, including—
    • (A) technical merit, innovation, and impact;
    • (B) research approach, workplan, and deliverables;
    • (C) academic and private sector partners; and
    • (D) alternate sources of funding.
• (c)
  • (1) The term of an award of financial assistance under this section shall not exceed 3 years.
  • (2) The amount of an award of financial assistance under this section shall be not more than $2,000,000.
  • (3) Each State that receives financial assistance under this section shall contribute matching funds in an amount equal to not less than 30 percent of the amount of the financial assistance.
• (d) A State may use financial assistance provided under this section—
  • (1) to facilitate access to high-performance computing resources for small and medium manufacturers; and
  • (2) to provide assistance to small and medium manufacturers to implement smart manufacturing technologies and practices.
• (e) The Secretary shall conduct semiannual evaluations of each award of financial assistance under this section—
  • (1) to determine the impact and effectiveness of programs funded with the financial assistance; and
  • (2) to provide guidance to States on ways to better execute the program of the State.
• (f) There is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this section $50,000,000 for the period of fiscal years 2022 through 2026.