LIFT

Fast Facts

Established	February 2014

Website	www.lift.technology

Mission	Advancing American manufacturing into the future through technology and talent development and driving rapid implementation of smarter manufacturing by connecting the materials, processes, and systems together with the talent needs of the future

Headquarters	Detroit, MI

Consortium Organizer	American Lightweight Materials Manufacturing Innovation Institute (ALMMII)

Institute Metrics

as of September 30, 2023

163 194	Member Organizations Education & Workforce Partners

*Total Committed Funding on Original and Follow-on Agreements with DoD*
$103M	Base Federal Funding
$105M	Base Non-Federal Cost Share

*Additional Committed Project Funding*
$119M	DoD Projects
$3M	Other Federal Funding
$87M	Academia/Industry Projects
$18M	State/Local Government Projects
*Total Ongoing and Completed Projects*
118	Technology Projects
54	Education and Workforce Development (EWD) Projects
*Education and Workforce Development*
14,927	Participants in EWD Projects or Institute-led EWD Activities from FY20-FY22

Successes

Click here for the latest DoD MII Success Stories.

Project Examples:

Utilizing Simulation to Drive Rotating Band Welding Strategy to Keep Our Warfighters Farther from Active Combat

Delivering the World’s Largest Metal Additive Machine to Manufacture Jointless Combat Vehicle Hulls, Better Protecting Service Members

Institute Snapshot

LIFT solves the manufacturing equation by connecting materials, processes, systems and talent needed to drive American manufacturing into the future.

LIFT – Leading Innovations For Tomorrow, the institute’s technology program, develops and deploys new advanced materials manufacturing technologies and processes, including lightweighting and multi-material processing in support of our national economy and national defense.

LIFT – Learning Innovations For Tomorrow, the institute’s talent program, delivers a new advanced manufacturing curriculum in its immersive Learning Lab environment and to schools across the nation to address the skills gap in the U.S. workforce, providing workers with the skills, knowledge, and abilities required by new innovative technologies.

Institute Capabilities

Ecosystem Development	With its 100,000 square foot headquarters in Detroit, Michigan and ~20,000 square foot facility in Sterling Heights, Michigan, LIFT convenes an ecosystem of Fortune 500 companies; top academic research universities; small- and medium-sized manufacturers; and national education and workforce development partners to rapidly contract, design, develop, prototype and test innovative technologies for the Department of Defense (DoD) and industry to speed technology transition to the warfighter while building the future workforce of America. High Bay - Bringing the “Art of the Possible” to Reality: The LIFT Technology Showcase and Sandbox houses the national premier advanced materials development and manufacturing processes facility featuring full-scale equipment and highlights connecting materials, processes and systems for smarter manufacturing. Learning Lab: LIFT features a one-of-a-kind immersive Learning Lab to educate and train the next generation of high-level advanced manufacturing technicians to fill the existing skills gap in the U.S., and provides a curriculum to prepare students for the advanced manufacturing jobs of tomorrow. A state-of-the-art, immersive learning facility, the LIFT Learning Lab features seven unique labs equipped to prepare students for the most in-demand manufacturing careers.
Fast Forge	The “Fast Forge” program is designed to solicit exciting new project ideas connecting materials, processes and systems and developing those ideas on a shorter timeline. Project ideas should align with LIFT’s main technology focus areas of: Integrated Computational Materials Engineering (ICME) and Computational Engineering; Advanced Alloy and Process Development; Multi-Material Joining; and Applications of Additive, Metamorphic and Future Manufacturing.
IGNITE^TM: Mastering Manufacturing	Today’s workforce necessitates a three-year foundational competency-based educational program for the “multi-skilled technician.” This new proprietary curriculum introduces students to advanced manufacturing materials, processes and systems through online, interactive, multimedia and project-based learning built around real industry challenges.
Operation Next^TM	This is an innovative training and credentialing program providing a blended learning curriculum to active-duty soldiers within their last six months of service, enabling them to earn one or more nationally portable, standards-based, industry-recognized credentials in high-demand manufacturing fields. The program has also been expanded to support small- and medium-sized organizations through a pilot in Detroit and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.