The aim of the Blue Sky Competition at NAMRC is to identify long-term challenges and new visionary ideas for manufacturing so to influence the future of manufacturing research and education in the U.S. Authors will present their abstracts during the conference and presentation winners, as determined by the committee, will receive the NAMRI | SME Dornfeld Manufacturing Vision Award.

This award is named after the late University of California at Berkley professor, fellow and past director of SME, who was considered a global leader in sustainable and smart manufacturing. The award recognizes outstanding vision and leadership within the manufacturing community.

The competition will be judged by a panel of industry and government experts including federal program officers interested in new concepts for large multi-project manufacturing research programs with relevance to their missions. Such ideas are often described as “radical,” “outrageous,” “transformational,” “unconventional” and “breakthrough.”

Presentations should pose grand challenges to be addressed by pursuing the manufacturing research vision, describing the intersections between disparate disciplines necessary to advance that vision. Topical areas should extend beyond the scope of a single investigator and show potential for transformative impact in areas of interest to federal agencies.

It is likely that team efforts will be needed to formulate such ideas. Therefore, interdisciplinary collaborations are encouraged, including disciplines outside of engineering.

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