America Makes announces two project calls worth more than $35M in funding

America Makes and the National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining (NCDMM) announced two new project calls worth over $35M. Both are funded by the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense, Manufacturing Technology Office (OSD ManTech).

The 2026 Department of Defense (DOD) Organic Industrial Base (OIB) Modernization Challenge, released in cooperation with our fellow Manufacturing Innovation Institutes (MII), focuses on advancing additive manufacturing (AM) and related technologies to support defense manufacturing modernization. Typical awards will range from $10M to $15M. Larger concepts up to $25M will be considered with appropriate justification.

The project targets AM and advanced manufacturing challenges across the OIB, including digital operations technology, AI 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. Addressing these technological gaps is crucial to national security, ensuring a robust and responsive Defense Industrial Base (DIB) capable of meeting the DOD’s evolving needs.

“Modernizing the organic industrial base is a readiness imperative,” says John Martin, additive manufacturing research director at America Makes. “Through this project, we’re hardwiring shopfloor 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 AM a core requirement for submissions, we turn fragmented innovation into award-winning capabilities that scale across depots and arsenals.”

Proposed efforts are expected to deliver actionable insights that reduce technical and industrial risk while enabling realistic transition pathways. Collectively, the outcomes are intended to provide mutual value to the DOD and OIB.

The 2026 DOD OIB Modernization Challenge encompasses nine topic areas, including:

Topic 1: Digital Operations Technology

Topic 2: Real-Time Manufacturing Sensors for Robotics

Topic 3: AI Robotic Process Planning

Topic 4: In-Situ Quality Checks

Topic 5: Reduced Operator Exposure

Topic 6: Reduced Cost of Operations

Topic 7: Pilot Line of Non-Traditional OIB Products

Topic 8: Mobile and Large Surface Automation

Topic 9: Other AM Technology or Process 

The second project call, Joint Additive Qualification for Sustainment – Supplier Qualification (JAQS-SQ) – Groups 2 & 3, is worth $10.5M in funding and focuses on unified requirements and training for the qualification of laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) AM and directed energy deposition (DED) suppliers for the metal AM 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 DIB by standardizing AM training and audits, aligning suppliers with acquisition requirements, accelerating the onboarding of non-traditional vendors, and ensuring consistent, qualified production. The training curriculum will be developed in partnership with Wichita State University – National Institute for Aviation Research (WSU‑NIAR). Specifically designed for production and engineering operations managers, this practical 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 AM manufacturer for the DoD. This includes demonstrating the ability to execute a performance qualification as defined in the curriculum and required by the audit.

“The Defense Industrial Base needs more qualified additive manufacturing suppliers — and JAQS is scaling to deliver them,” says Ben DiMarco, technology transition director at America Makes. “Preparing these suppliers now strengthens the U.S. Defense Industrial Base and builds the advanced manufacturing capacity our warfighters will depend on for decades. A year from now, we expect more than 30 qualified suppliers. The AM community, especially parts producers, should lean in.”

Project call timeline:

• Launch: Thursday, March 5
• Kickoff Webinars: March 10 for DOD OIB Modernization Challenge (Registration Required HERE)

       March 12 for JAQS-SQ – Groups 2& 3 (Registration Required HERE)

• Submission Deadline: April 2 by 5 p.m. ET for DoD OIB Modernization Challenge

April 29 by 5 p.m. ET for JAQS-SQ – Groups 2 & 3 

Proposers for the 2026 DOD OIB Modernization Challenge are advised to reference the RFP for full details HERE.

Proposers for JAQS-SQ – Groups 2 & 3 are advised to reference the RFP for full details HERE.