Louisiana Secures Funding to Drive More Than $15 Million in Manufacturing Innovation

Federal MEP award will expand Louisiana Innovation Labs’ support for small and medium-sized manufacturers adopting advanced technologies

BATON ROUGE, La. — Louisiana Innovation (LA.IO), a division of Louisiana Economic Development (LED), has secured $1.5 million annually for five years from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to expand Louisiana Innovation Labs through the federal Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) program. Combined with required state and partner matching contributions, the five-year initiative represents more than $15 million in total investment in Louisiana manufacturing innovation. The funding will support a statewide network connecting small and medium-sized manufacturers with advanced technologies and technical expertise. As Louisiana’s designated MEP Center, LA.IO will participate in NIST’s nationwide network supporting small and medium-sized manufacturers.

Through Louisiana Innovation Labs, manufacturers will have access to support for identifying, adopting and deploying advanced technologies including artificial intelligence, robotics, automation, advanced materials, additive manufacturing and biotechnology. The five-year effort will bring together universities, technical colleges, regional economic development organizations and private-sector technology partners to help move manufacturers from identifying opportunities to real-world implementation.

“Louisiana has always built the things our country depends on, and the technologies changing how those things are made are advancing faster than ever,” said LED Secretary Susan B. Bourgeois. “This investment gives Louisiana manufacturers access to the expertise and tools they need to modernize, compete and grow while ensuring that innovation reaches businesses and workers in every region of our state.”

Louisiana Innovation Labs will focus on manufacturers in industries critical to Louisiana’s economy, including energy and process industries, agribusiness, aerospace and defense, life sciences and logistics. Technology solutions will be tailored to the needs of individual manufacturers and industries, from AI-powered predictive maintenance and automated quality assurance to welding robotics, advanced materials and additive manufacturing.

The program will bring together a statewide network coordinated by LA.IO, bringing together the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, South Louisiana Community College, Louisiana Tech University, Louisiana Central and other industry and technology partners. Together, the network will connect manufacturers across Louisiana with advanced manufacturing expertise, technology and resources tailored to their needs.

“This isn’t about telling manufacturers what they should be doing five or 10 years from now. It’s about helping them put technology to work today,” LED Chief Innovation Officer Josh Fleig said. “This award allows us to expand Louisiana Innovation Labs into a statewide framework connecting manufacturers with the technology, expertise and capital they need to solve real problems on the shop floor. We’re taking a model that is already working and scaling it across the state.”

The model builds on work already underway through Innovation Labs. Earlier this year, LA.IO connected Persona AI, an industrial humanoid robotics company, with SSE Steel Fabrication in St. Bernard Parish for a humanoid robotics deployment being prepared for the company’s production floor. The project is among the first planned deployments of its kind inside a small U.S. manufacturer and is designed to evaluate the technology under real production conditions.

Through Louisiana Innovation Labs, that hands-on approach will extend to manufacturers statewide. Companies will have access to assessments that identify technology-adoption opportunities and potential pathways forward based on their specific operations. The program will then help manufacturers connect with the technical expertise, implementation resources, training and potential financing needed to move projects from assessment toward deployment.

The Louisiana Innovation Labs model reflects a broader strategy within LA.IO to make Louisiana’s established industries increasingly technology-enabled by connecting companies with emerging tools, technical expertise and capital. Over the five-year award period, LA.IO will measure technology adoption and economic outcomes to track the program’s impact on manufacturers and inform its work across the state.

About Louisiana Innovation <LA.IO>
Louisiana Innovation (LA.IO), a division of Louisiana Economic Development, is building the nation’s strongest innovation ecosystem. Through strategic investments, entrepreneurial support, commercialization initiatives, workforce development, and partnerships across industry, academia, and government, LA.IO helps startups launch, companies scale, and breakthrough technologies reach the marketplace. By supporting innovators with the capital, coaching, and connections they need to succeed, LA.IO is advancing innovation-driven economic growth and positioning Louisiana as a leading destination for entrepreneurs, researchers, and technology companies. Learn more at www.la.io.