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MEP to be Eliminated in President's FY 2003 Budget?
Yesterday's edition of USA Today reported "the Commerce Department's Manufacturing Extension Program [sic], funded this year at $107 million...would be eliminated [in FY 2003] because the White House says they should be financed by the private sector."
The Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), a nationwide network of not-for-profit centers in over 400 locations nationwide, functions solely to assist small and medium-sized manufacturers. With centers in all 50 states and Puerto Rico, MEP makes it possible for even the smallest firms to tap into the expertise of knowledgeable manufacturing and business specialists across the U.S. Since its founding, the program has worked with more than 107,000 manufacturing firms.
MEP is funded through a three-way partnership between the states, industry, and the federal government. By working to make manufacturers more technologically competitive and efficient, the centers are an integral part of most states' tech-based economic development strategies.
More information on MEP can be found at: http://www.mep.nist.gov