(a) Establishment of Manufacturing Engineering Education Program.—(1) The Secretary of Defense shall establish a program under which the Secretary makes grants or other awards to support—

(A) the enhancement of existing programs in manufacturing engineering education to further a mission of the department; or

(B) the establishment of new programs in manufacturing engineering education that meet such requirements.

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(2) Grants and awards under this section may be made to industry, not-for-profit institutions, institutions of higher education, or to consortia of such institutions or industry.

(3) The Secretary shall establish the program in consultation with the Secretary of Education, the Director of the National Science Foundation, the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, and the secretaries of such other relevant Federal agencies as the Secretary considers appropriate.

(4) The Secretary shall ensure that the program is coordinated with Department programs associated with advanced manufacturing.

(5) The program shall be known as the “Manufacturing Engineering Education Program”.

(b) Geographical Distribution of Grants and Awards.—In awarding grants and other awards under this subsection, the Secretary shall, to the maximum extent practicable, avoid geographical concentration of awards.

(c) Covered Programs.—A program of engineering education supported pursuant to this section shall meet the requirements of this section.

(d) Components of Program.—The program of education for which such a grant is made shall be a consolidated and integrated multidisciplinary program of education with an emphasis on the following components:

(1) Multidisciplinary instruction that encompasses the total manufacturing engineering enterprise and that may include—

(A) manufacturing engineering education and training through classroom activities, laboratory activities, thesis projects, individual or team projects, internships, cooperative work-study programs, and interactions with industrial facilities, consortia, or such other activities and organizations in the United States and foreign countries as the Secretary considers appropriate;

(B) faculty development programs;

(C) recruitment of educators highly qualified in manufacturing engineering to teach or develop manufacturing engineering courses;

(D) presentation of seminars, workshops, and training for the development of specific manufacturing engineering skills;

(E) activities involving interaction between students and industry, including programs for visiting scholars, personnel exchange, or industry executives;

(F) development of new, or updating and modification of existing, manufacturing curriculum, course offerings, and education programs;

(G) establishment of programs in manufacturing workforce training;

(H) establishment of joint manufacturing engineering programs with defense laboratories and depots; and

(I) expansion of manufacturing training and education programs and outreach for members of the armed forces, dependents and children of such members, veterans, and employees of the Department of Defense.

(2) Opportunities for students to obtain work experience in manufacturing through such activities as internships, summer job placements, or cooperative work-study programs.

(3) Faculty and student engagement with industry that is directly related to, and supportive of, the education of students in manufacturing engineering because of—

(A) the increased understanding of manufacturing engineering challenges and potential solutions; and

(B) the enhanced quality and effectiveness of the instruction that result from that increased understanding.

(e) Proposals.—The Secretary of Defense shall solicit proposals for grants and other awards to be made pursuant to this section for the support of programs of manufacturing engineering education that are consistent with the purposes of this section.

(f) Merit Competition.—Applications for awards shall be evaluated on the basis of merit pursuant to competitive procedures prescribed by the Secretary.

(g) Selection Criteria.—The Secretary may select a proposal for an award pursuant to this section if the proposal, at a minimum, does each of the following:

(1) Contains innovative approaches for improving engineering education in manufacturing technology.

(2) Demonstrates a strong commitment by the proponents to apply the resources necessary to achieve the objectives for which the award is to be made.

(3) Provides for effective engagement with industry or government organizations that supports the instruction to be provided in the proposed program and is likely to improve manufacturing engineering and technology.

(4) Demonstrates a significant level of involvement of United States industry in the proposed instructional and research activities.

(5) Is likely to attract superior students and promote careers in manufacturing engineering.

(6) Proposes to involve fully qualified personnel who are experienced in manufacturing engineering education and technology.

(7) Proposes a program that, within three years after the award is made, is likely to attract from sources other than the Federal Government the financial and other support necessary to sustain such program.

(8) Proposes to achieve a significant level of participation by women, members of minority groups, and individuals with disabilities through active recruitment of students from among such persons.

(9) Trains students in advanced manufacturing and in relevant emerging technologies and production processes.

(h) Institution of Higher Education Defined.—In this section, the term “institution of higher education” has the meaning given such term in section 101(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001(a)).