Manufacturing Readiness Grants

Be Ready for the
Future of Business

Manufacturing Readiness Grants have helped manufacturers make innovative capital investments in smart manufacturing within their Indiana operations—leveraging technologies from advanced communications to cobots to the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and beyond.

The program is not currently accepting additional applications. Due to continued high demand for this program, the number of recent grant applications received is estimated to fully utilize available program funding for this budget cycle. Applications received since July 2024 are being evaluated in order of receipt, with award decisions anticipated in the coming months. Applicants will continue to be notified as their application moves through the evaluation process. If the current applications do not exhaust available program funds or if additional funding becomes available, the program will reopen for new application submissions. If you would like to be notified when applications reopen, please complete an interest form with your contact information.

Complete an Interest Form

Our Impact

708 Manufacturing Readiness Grants have been made to businesses across the state. Read our 2024 Impact Report.

$74M
in grant funding awarded
85
counties impacted
$1.06B
in project budgets supported

These grants are already having a major impact throughout our state.

For example, between 2020 and 2021, we’ve seen budgeting for technology adoption among participating AML companies nearly double. And grant recipients almost universally attribute the grant to either enabling, expanding or accelerating a technology investment.

Have a project in mind?

Complete an Interest Form

Partners and History

Conexus works with the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) and Next Level Manufacturing Institute to help manage the Manufacturing Readiness Grants program.

The program was originally launched as part of the IEDC’s Economic Activity Stabilization and Enhancement (EASE) program and was extended through a new appropriation from the Indiana General Assembly. By encouraging private sector investments, these grants have already made a substantial impact—and have helped set the stage for future innovation and growth in AML throughout the state.

Innovating for Our Future

Our Manufacturing Readiness Grants have supported tech-enabled investment in smart manufacturing all around the state. Companies listed are in various stages of project implementation.

*The map and recipient list is evolving as projects progress.

See Recipients

Past Recipient Case Studies

Over the last three years, Conexus Indiana has interviewed select MRG recipients upon completion of their supported projects and published case studies documenting best practices for Industry 4.0. Many of the stories focus on companies that are in rural communities, have a rich history of operations, or are entrepreneurial in nature.

 

View all Case Studies

Poolguard

When the pandemic hit, North Vernon-based Poolguard saw demand for the five different alarm pool safety products the company manufactured soar. With a $56,250 Manufacturing Readiness Grant, Poolguard transformed a tedious manual job into an automated process using surface-mount technology.

Standard Integrated Solutions

Standard Integrated Solutions was looking for a more efficient way to produce custom-designed parts through a process called air bending. After identifying a bottleneck in the metal and sheet metal manufacturing process, specifically in the press break process, Standard Integrated Solutions invested in its first cobot to take parts in and out of the CNC press breaks.

Frequently Asked Questions

Complete the interest form on this website to receive notice from the IEDC of upcoming news.

Applications must be for a manufacturer planning to make capital investment in the form of smart manufacturing technologies within their Indiana operation. While there is no size limitation for applicants, small- and medium-sized manufacturers (<500 employees) are heavily favored. The degree to which an applicant is a manufacturer (manufacturing intensity) and relationship to Indiana are also significant considerations.

Projects should directly affect manufacturing processes and focus on investments in commercial-ready equipment through established vendors. The equipment should be beyond ‘advanced’ in nature, i.e. more technologically intensive and broadly innovative than mere upgrades via standard automation, increased capacity, tighter tolerances, improved fabrication techniques, or other incremental improvements that are common for the applicant’s sector.

Strong applications offer a detailed description for how the applicant is undertaking an initiative that will be transformative beyond the status quo for themselves and competitors. The equipment should credibly leverage technologies such as industrial internet of things (IIoT), sensor technology, COBOTS, additive manufacturing (3D printing), big data and analytics, cybersecurity, machine learning, artificial intelligence (AI), digital twin, advanced modeling, blockchain, autonomous robotics or vehicles, augmented, virtual, or mixed reality, cloud computing, and advanced communications (5G, etc).

Applications must be submitted through this portal when the program is actively receiving applications. Once submitted, the application will undergo a peer review process by a committee of volunteers. Each application will be reviewed by multiple committee members. These individual reviews are then aggregated together into a composite result to be discussed at the next regularly scheduled committee meeting. The outcome of committee discussion is a consensus for a funding recommendation offered to the IEDC. The IEDC takes the recommendation under advisement and performs further diligence before making a final funding decision. Conexus notifies the applicant once a decision is made.

Applications and their support materials are seen by Conexus staff, the IEDC, and the committee of volunteers who peer review the applications. The committee is comprised of a diverse, statewide, multi-sector and distinguished group of Conexus Smart Manufacturing Fellows. The fellows are subject matter experts on technology deployment within manufacturing environments. All are bound by confidentiality and comply with a policy for recusal in the event of conflict of interest.

The grant is intended to incentivize a project investment that would not otherwise happen but for the grant. The grant is unable to reimburse project expenditures incurred or committed prior to the date of application. The application should demonstrate how the project, either its scope or timeline, is significantly dependent upon or would be enabled/enhanced by the grant. Projects that can be immediately started and quickly executed pending an award are preferred.

Keep in Touch for Program Updates!