Combined with required state and partner matching contributions, the five-year initiative represents more than $15 million in total investment in Louisiana manufacturing innovation. The funding will support a statewide network connecting small and medium-sized manufacturers with advanced technologies and technical expertise.
Through Louisiana Innovation Labs, manufacturers will have access to support for identifying, adopting, and deploying advanced technologies including artificial intelligence, robotics, automation, advanced materials, additive manufacturing, and biotechnology.
The five-year effort will bring together universities, technical colleges, regional economic development organizations, and private-sector technology partners to help move manufacturers from identifying opportunities to real-world implementation.
"Louisiana has always built the things our country depends on, and the technologies changing how those things are made are advancing faster than ever. This investment gives Louisiana manufacturers access to the expertise and tools they need to modernize, compete, and grow while ensuring that innovation reaches businesses and workers in every region of our state." Susan B. Bourgeois, LED Secretary
The program will bring together a statewide network coordinated by LA.IO, bringing together the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, South Louisiana Community College, Louisiana Tech University, Louisiana Central, and other industry and technology partners.
"This isn't about telling manufacturers what they should be doing five or 10 years from now. It's about helping them put technology to work today. This award allows us to expand Louisiana Innovation Labs into a statewide framework connecting manufacturers with the technology, expertise, and capital they need to solve real problems on the shop floor. We're taking a model that is already working and scaling it across the state." Josh Fleig, LED Chief Innovation Officer
The model builds on work already underway in Louisiana. Earlier this year, LA.IO connected Persona AI, an industrial humanoid robotics company, with SSE Steel Fabrication in St. Bernard Parish for a humanoid robotics deployment being prepared for the company's production floor.
Companies will have access to assessments that identify technology-adoption opportunities and potential pathways forward based on their specific operations. The program will then help manufacturers connect with the technical expertise, implementation resources, training, and potential financing needed to move projects from assessment toward deployment.
Over the five-year award period, LA.IO will measure technology adoption and economic outcomes to track the program's impact on manufacturers and inform its work across the state.