YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – America Makes and the National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining announced two new project calls worth more than $35 million.
Both projects are funded by the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense, Manufacturing Technology Office.
2026 DoD OIB Modernization Challenge
The 2026 Department of Defense Organic Industrial Base Modernization Challenge, released in cooperation with the Manufacturing Innovation Institutes, focuses on advancing additive manufacturing and related technologies to support defense manufacturing modernization. Typical awards will range from $10 million to $15 million. Larger concepts up to $25 million will be considered with appropriate justification.
The project targets additive manufacturing and advanced manufacturing challenges across the organic industrial base, including digital operations technology, artificial intelligence, robotic process planning, in-situ quality checks, reducing operation exposure to hazards, lowering operational costs, pilot lines for emerging military products and mobile/large surface automation.
“Modernizing the organic industrial base is a readiness imperative,” said John Martin, additive manufacturing research director at America Makes. “Through this project, we’re hardwiring shop floor improvements and additive manufacturing into daily production to drive measurable reductions in cost per pound of material, while boosting throughput, quality and resilience. By making [additive manufacturing] a core requirement for submissions, we turn fragmented innovation into award-winning capabilities that scale across depots and arsenals.”
For more information and to submit a proposal, click HERE.
JAQS-SQ – Groups 2 & 3
The second project call, Joint Additive Qualification for Sustainment – Supplier Qualification – Groups 2 & 3, is worth $10.5 million in funding and focuses on unified requirements and training for the qualification of laser powder bed fusion additive manufacturing and directed energy deposition suppliers for the metal additive manufacturing industrial base.
Up to 30 awards are anticipated in total.
This project builds on the original JAQS-SQ effort to strengthen manufacturing readiness and expand the capabilities of the defense industrial base by standardizing additive manufacturing training and audits, aligning suppliers with acquisition requirements, accelerating the onboarding of nontraditional vendors and ensuring consistent, qualified production.
The training curriculum will be developed in partnership with Wichita State University – National Institute for Aviation Research. Specifically designed for production and engineering operations managers, this training will teach leaders how to implement process control documents and qualification principles effectively.
Once suppliers have completed training and integrated the guidance, an audit will be conducted to verify the capability of operating as a qualified additive manufacturing manufacturer for the Department of Defense. This includes demonstrating the ability to execute a performance qualification as defined in the curriculum and required by the audit.
“Standardizing how we train, qualify and audit [additive manufacturing] suppliers isn’t just a technical upgrade; it’s a strategic investment in the long-term strength of the defense industrial base,” said Ben DiMarco, technology transition director at America Makes. “By building a predictable, trusted pathway for suppliers to meet DOD needs, we’re creating the resilient, scalable and secure manufacturing ecosystem our warfighters will rely on for decades to come.”
For more information and to submit a proposal, click HERE.