Grant Amount: $25,000-$500,000 per manufacturer
The application deadline for the Maryland Department of Commerce’s second round of the Manufacturing 4.0 Grant Program is less than one week away! Maryland manufacturers, don’t miss your opportunity to get funding to support your Industry 4.0 technology strategies. (Technology product and service providers, we encourage you to read below to see how you too may benefit from this grant program.)
This grant program provides grants to small and mid-sized Maryland manufacturers to invest in Industry 4.0 technologies to modernize operations.
Awarded grants will cover:
- 75% of project costs for small manufacturers (3-50 employees)
- 50% of project costs for mid-sized manufacturers (51-250 employees)
The minimum grant award is $25,000 and a maximum grant is $500,000. Projects must clearly demonstrate a tie to Industry 4.0 and a long-term strategy for Industry 4.0 adoption.
Grant awards will vary based on the applicant’s total investment, and the applicant must demonstrate matching funds as follows:
- 3-50 employees – 25% match requirement (grants up to 75% of total project costs)
- 51-250 employees – 50% match requirement (grants up to 50% of total project costs)
Examples of qualified projects and investments include:
- Advanced Sensor Integration
- Artificial Intelligence for continuous improvement of efficiency and productivity
- Big Data & Analytics – investing in systems that allow manufacturers to better analyze the data collected within their operation, turning data into actionable insights that drive better decision-making
- Cloud computing and cybersecurity solutions
- Embedded software system applications
- Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Data Analytics software
- Robots and autonomous equipment to help automate workflow (replacement of existing equipment would not be qualified)
- Systems integration projects – either vertically sharing data within the organization to improve efficiencies, or horizontally across supply chains
- Employee training and /or consulting costs associated with the implementation of the new systems, technologies or equipment
Eligible costs include but are not limited to expenses such as machinery, equipment, software, implementation/installation costs, and training of employees on use of the new technology. Consultant fees directly associated with implementation of the eligible project costs, such as design and layout of new equipment, soft costs such as license fees, and training costs are permitted, and will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
The previous round of funding provided 23 businesses with a total of nearly $1 million to modernize their operations!