Completed Projects

Ohio Means Internships & Co-ops

Ohio serves as program manager for the Central Ohio OMIC 4 program, building on

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prior administration of OMIC 2.5 and 3.  OMIC supports Ohio State and its academic and industry partners in efforts to train and hire a workforce proficient in tech application of advanced manufacturing technology and design methods important to this industry. OMIC 2.5 adopted a co-located partnership to education that connected industry, academic faculty and students. OMIC 3 has adopted a hub appraoch to allow the respective institutions at Columbus State Community College, Central Ohio Technical College and Marion Technical College to further develop their manufacturing education programs.

 

Defense Cybersecurity Assurance Program /
Defense Manufacturing Assistance Program

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DCAP is a program that aids defense contractors at any tier of the supply chain by offering expert cybersecurity consulting services and matching funds to qualifying companies that need assistance in becoming compliant with Department of Defense (DoD) NIST SP 800-170 regulations. NIST SP 800-171 is a guideline made to protect unclassified information in non-federal information systems. The DoD wants contractors to organize and address security requirements including access control, incident response, security assessment, etc. Ohio State will engage 20 Ohio firms in Defense Cybersecurity Assurance Program (DCAP) services. The initial assessment will identify firms’ knowledge of the cybersecurity guidelines (NIST SP 800-171) and level of assistance required to comply with the needs of the defense industry. Following compliance, the university will connect the firms with expert support to identify cybersecurity gaps and implement a customized plan.

DCAP builds off of the successful completion of phase two of a $2.24M Department of Defense Office of Economic Adjustment grant that assisted companies affected by defense spending cuts. Companies connected to vetted third-party solution providers, including MEPs, to conduct product diversification, market research, technology commercialization, and workforce system projects. Community economic development projects in Coshocton, Licking County, Riverside and Beavercreek were conducted to build the strength of the surrounding regions. 

 


 

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Ohio Advanced Manufacturing Technical Resource Network Roadmaps 

Under a $500K multi-part Ohio Development Services Agency grant, OMI worked with Ohio MEPs and Edison Centers on statewide roadmaps to determine industry-vetted manufacturing needs and technical solutions by manufacturing process (machining, molding, joining/forming, additive manufacturing). During the roadmaps conducted, the largest overall challenge to SMMs were workforce and training, especially in hiring engineers and technologists with in-demand skills. Other areas of general concern included:

  • Advanced materials – challenges in incorporating new materials and technologies on the factory floor
  • Smart manufacturing – SMMs are not ready to adopt production strategies incorporating Internet of Things (IoT), modeling and simulation, and Industry 4.0 concepts
  • Innovation and commercialization – increasing speed of product development, prototyping and commercialization (and developing networks to exploit new opportunities)

 


US EDA Engineering Technology Skills Assessment

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OMI was subcontracted by the Center for Design and Manufacturing Excellence to develop recommendations on multi-industry engineering technology curricula based on needs identified by area defense and commercial manufacturers and O*Net skills data. We conducted five regional industry focus groups that identified industry-driven skills gaps and opportunities in educational institution programs; we are now working with North Central State College and Columbus State Community College to develop in-demand engineering technology curricula to fulfill SMMs’ challenge of finding workers with technical skills requiring more than high school and less than a four-year degree. This research was supported using Federal funds under award 06-49-06019 from the Economic Development Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce.

 


US EDA Product Development and Commercialization

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Small- to mid-sized manufacturing enterprises (SMMEs), both defense and commercial, face unique obstacles in the marketplace, which is why systems of innovation must be established through workplace culture and leadership that ensure success. This report serves as a roadmap of multiple systems across defense and commercial enterprises, from Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) to small startups. The roadmap was constructed by researching OEM’s implementation of well-known lean principles and concepts, entrepreneur’s product commercialization processes, and innovation processes that some small and medium-sized enterprises and support organizations have adopted. The goal is to outline best-practice models that small- and medium-sized manufacturing enterprises (SMMEs) interested in product development and commercialization growth may employ. This research was supported using Federal funds under award 06-49-06019 from the Economic Development Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce.

 

 


LCCC Innovation Fund Validation Report

Entrepreneurship is a crucial aspect of economic development;

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without new products and services economies cannot transform or flourish. Lorain County Community College, in conjunction with the Lorain Chamber of Commerce, the Lorain County Commissioners, area universities and other local entities, discovered that in order to revitalize the economies of Lorain County and Northeast Ohio a culture of entrepreneurship had to be created. To help solve this problem, LCCC and these local organizations banded together to found the Innovation Fund of Northeast Ohio (IF-NEO) as a means of providing early stage, pre-seed, funding so that entrepreneurs could build and prove their business concepts. IF-NEO built upon the coaching and advisory services of LCCC’s Great Lakes Innovation and Development Enterprise (GLIDE). Ten years have passed since the creation of IF-NEO within GLIDE, and as the economy of Northeast Ohio has changed and evolved, so too has the business ecosystem that provides support for the region’s budding entrepreneurs. The Ohio Manufacturing Institute at The Ohio State University was contracted by the LCCC Foundation to analyze the effectiveness and assess the impact of the IF-NEO model and the role it plays in stimulating entrepreneurship. This report examines the purpose of IF-NEO, its relationship with GLIDE and other parts of Northeast Ohio’s entrepreneurial support system, how IF-NEO fits into the lifecycle of start-ups intending to become high-growth businesses, its performance measures, and finally the structure of its financing.