The Minnesota Medical Manufacturing Partnership officially launched with a vision that this region will be the global leader in manufacturing of medical technology in order to meet the world's changing needs.
The lunchtime launch event at CHS Field in Saint Paul featured special guest speakers Jay Williams, U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development; Jeff Finkle, President & CEO of International Economic Development Council (IEDC); Richard Davis, Chairman & CEO, U.S. Bank, and Michael Langley, CEO of GREATER MSP.
The Partnership’s launch comes about after it received an important designation last year under the Obama Administration’s Investing in Manufacturing Communities Partnership (IMCP) initiative.
“The federal designation affirmed our leadership in medical technology,” said Michael Langley, CEO of GREATER MSP. “The Minnesota Medical Manufacturing Partnership will further distinguish our region as the global leader in this sector.”
This U.S. Commerce Department-led IMCP program is designed to accelerate the resurgence of manufacturing in communities nationwide. As a designated manufacturing community, the Minnesota partnership will receive coordinated support for its strategies from 11 federal agencies with more than $1 billion in federal economic development assistance.
MMMP has crafted a strategy to strengthen the ecosystem for entrepreneurship, globally brand and market Minnesota's medical and life sciences cluster and optimize the regional talent base via training and educational programs focused on medical devices and medical manufacturing all while maintaining and widening the region's competitive advantage in operational costs.
The opportunity is large. Minnesota is one of the world's largest medical device clusters. Leading innovation, along with top medical technology companies, drive this industry sector in the region. The MMMP region contains a rich ecosystem of talented professionals and academics, resulting in numerous start-ups that spur the local economy.
There are have been six Working Committees established, each with their own strategies to support the vision of the MMMP region as a global medical technology leader.
The committees are:
- Workforce and Training
- Supplier Network
- Research & Innovation
- Infrastructure & Site Development
- Trade & Investment
- Operational Improvement and Capital Access