NIST Awards $30.1 Million to MEP Centers
By Omar Nashashibi | September 29, 2026
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On Sept. 15, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, a nonregulatory agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce, announced more than $30 million in first-year funding for Manufacturing Extension Partnership centers in 11 states and Puerto Rico: The awards will help small- and medium-sized manufacturers adopt advanced technologies, including artificial intelligence, robotics, automation, and […]
About the Author
Omar Nashashibi
Omar S. Nashashibi is the Founder of Inside Beltway, a nonpartisan lobbying and strategic consulting firm in Washington, D.C. Having worked in the nation’s capital for over twenty-five years, Mr. Nashashibi provides strategic consulting services to companies while also lobbying the White House and Congress on behalf of manufacturing, associations, defense firms, nonprofits, and other sectors. He works with policymakers on trade, taxes, environmental and workplace regulations, supply chains, job training and identifying grants and funding to support projects. Having started his career in Washington D.C. in 1996, Mr. Nashashibi worked for the Office of Management and Budget, a branch of the White House, a large multi-state law firm, and founded a previous lobbying firm in 2005. He graduated from the George Washington University in Washington, D.C., where he studied Political Science and International Affairs.
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