Two
Commerce Department agencies, the National Institute of
Standards and Technology (NIST) and the Minority Business
Development Agency (MBDA), today announced at the National
Minority Enterprise Development Week conference in Washington,
D.C., a partnership to improve the competitiveness of minority-owned
businesses by promoting greater access to technology and
business expertise.
"Minority-owned
businesses are vital to our nation's economic health and
stability," said NIST Director Arden Bement. "We
are proud to collaborate with the Minority Business Development
Agency to provide technology and business expertise that
will help ensure that these businesses thrive and grow,"
said Bement.
"Entrepreneurs
drive our economy by creating wealth and jobs, taking risks,
and bringing innovation to the marketplace," said Ronald
Langston, National Director of MBDA. "By pooling the
resources of MBDA and NIST, through awareness and training,
we can further increase the number of minority businesses
in this nation."
The
agreement calls for both agencies to leverage their expertise,
service delivery and networks; share knowledge; and develop
strategies to increase the number of minority businesses
participating in NIST programs, services and contracting
opportunities.
Activities
include familiarizing MBDA partners with standards and technology
components of the global economy through the NIST Office
of International and Academic Affairs, and providing selected
MBDA staff with training on the principles and guidelines
of the Baldrige National Quality Program, a public-private
partnership to improve performance in U.S. organizations.
In assisting minority businesses further, NIST and MBDA
will tap into the expertise and resources of two other NIST
programs: the Manufacturing Extension Partnership, a nationwide
network of local centers offering technical and business
assistance to smaller manufacturers, and the Advanced Technology
Program, which accelerates the development of innovative
technologies for broad national benefit by co-funding research
and development partnerships with the private sector.
A copy
of the agreement is available online at http://www.nist.gov/public_affairs/releases/nistmbdamou.htm.
As a
non-regulatory agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce's
Technology Administration, NIST develops and promotes measurements,
standards, and technology to enhance productivity, facilitate
trade, and improve the quality of life.
MBDA
is the only federal agency created specifically to foster
the establishment and growth of minority-owned businesses
in America. MBDA provides business counseling and program
services to assist minority-owned companies to grow and
expand. MBDA is expanding and strengthening strategic alliances
with U.S. Department of Commerce agencies, other federal
government agencies and the private sector.
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