President Obama proclaimed June 18, 2014 a National Day of Making: Innovators and Advanced Manufacturing Celebrated
The United States must increasingly rely on innovation for economic development, growth, and job creation. Every level of government— along with the private sector— is investing and instituting policies and programs that spur innovation and build innovation capacity. Innovation Policy
Today, June 18, 2014, President Obama called on “all Americans to observe this day with programs, ceremonies, and activities that encourage a new generation of makers and manufacturers to share their talents and hone their skills” bringing the Maker Faire and the Maker Movement into the national spot light.
Makers are bringing creations and new inventions, developed by individuals in their homes, garages or places with limited manufacturing resources, to the attention of policy makers who believe that innovation is vital to the national economy.
TechVision21 applauds the President’s decision to host the White House’s first Maker Faire and the celebration of innovation, advanced manufacturing and entrepreneurship across the U.S.
Technology incubators such as TechShop are sprouting up across the U.S. putting expensive, high tech tools such as 3D printers, laser cutters and the latest design software in the hands of ordinary Americans with extraordinary ideas. The White House stated that 13 federal agencies are teaming up with companies like Etsy and Kickstarter to help Americans access startup capital and tools to develop new products bringing homespun into the 21st century.
“We are thrilled that the region now boasts a TechShop location of our own in Arlington, Virginia.” Stated Kelly Carnes, President and CEO of TechVision21. Part fabrication and prototyping studio, part hackerspace and part learning center, TechShop is a playground for creativity. Every Tech Shop facility has training classes and expert staff to help the budding innovator use the facility equipment which includes laser cutters, plastics and electronics labs, a machine, wood and metal working shop along with a textiles department, welding stations and a waterjet cutter.
MIT, another player fostering invention, launched the idea of Fab labs (fabrication laboratories) originally an outreach project of the MIT’s Center for Bits and Atoms, providing a strong model for a new kind of national laboratory that can link local facilities for advanced manufacturing.
Fab labs have spread across the globe from inner-city Boston to rural and have shown the potential to empower individuals to create technology-enabled products generally perceived as limited to mass production. These devices can be tailored to local or personal needs in ways that are not practical or economical using mass production. Like TechShop and other incubators, Fab labs put equipment that is generally out of reach to individual innovators into their hands allowing innovation to flourish and grow.
Read more about MIT Fab labs
Read more about TechShop
Read the Presidential Proclamation.