Manufacturing Extension Partnership

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) scientists have developed a new packaging process for photonic integrated circuits so they can survive and operate in some of the most extreme environments imaginable.

The advance could enable these technologies to operate on deep-space probes, inside nuclear reactors, in ultrahigh-vacuum systems, and at temperatures ranging from near absolute zero to scorchingly hot industrial settings.

Although the new process now takes several days to complete, engineers could dramatically shorten the time, making the technique suitable for large-scale manufacturing.

https://www.nist.gov/news-events/news/2026/03/nist-researchers-develop-photonic-chip-packaging-can-withstand-extreme

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has awarded a cooperative agreement to the West Virginia Manufacturing Extension Partnership (WVMEP) to establish an MEP Center in West Virginia.

WVMEP's mission is to strengthen, empower, and expand West Virginia manufacturing to enhance its competitiveness both locally and globally, while also functioning as the outreach arm of West Virginia University's Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources, connecting WVU’s resources to West Virginia manufacturers.

WVU Industrial Extension