Veliadis Visits White House for First Leadership Summit with Manufacturing USA Innovation Institute Network Directors

PowerAmerica Executive Director Victor Veliadis spoke on a panel at the White House, on Oct. 24, as one of 16 directors of the nation’s Manufacturing USA innovation institutes. It was the first time a leadership summit had been held with all 16 directors convened at the White House since the Manufacturing USA network was founded in 2012.

“Manufacturing is key to both our economic prosperity and national security,” says Veliadis, a professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at NC State University. “It was an honor to highlight how PowerAmerica is spearheading efforts to create public-private collaborations that synergistically overcome technological challenges — and accelerate the commercialization of energy-efficient silicon-carbide and gallium-nitride power semiconductor chip technologies.”  

NC State is involved with nearly half of the institutes in the Manufacturing USA network. And as the lead institution for PowerAmerica, NC State is the only university to oversee a Manufacturing USA innovation institute.

The leadership summit was led by Brian Deese, director of the National Economic Council (NEC), along with the deputy director of the NEC and the deputy director of the Office of Management and Budget. Deputy and under secretaries from the Department of Defense, Department of Energy, Department of Commerce, Department of Labor, USDA and representatives from six other federal agencies were also in attendance.

PowerAmerica, headquartered on Centennial Campus, is one of seven Manufacturing USA innovation institutes that NC State is a member of. NC State is also a member of the Advanced Functional Fabrics of America (AFFOA) institute, the Advanced Regenerative Manufacturing Institute (ARMI), the Bioindustrial Manufacturing Innovation Institute (BioMADE), the Smart Manufacturing Innovation Institute (CESMII), the National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals (NIIMBL) and the Rapid Advancement in Process Intensification Deployment (RAPID) institute.

NC State is the lead institution for PowerAmerica, which is the only Manufacturing USA Innovation Institute led by a university.

The Manufacturing USA network helps facilitate U.S. leadership in advanced manufacturing and build a strong workforce. Through public-private partnerships, these 16 institutes work on a range of cutting-edge technologies, such as advanced semiconductor chips, robotics, additive manufacturing and biomanufacturing. Each of the institutes in the network is sponsored by the Department of Commerce, the Department of Defense or the Department of Energy.

PowerAmerica, backed by the DOE, is a member-driven consortium of industry, universities and national labs that focuses on silicon-carbide and gallium-nitride semiconductor chips and their applications. These next-generation energy-efficient chips can be used to power trains and other large vehicles, manufacturing plants — and even entire electric grids. 

To learn more about the leadership summit, read this White House briefing room statement.