R.I. MADE, a consortium led by the University of Rhode Island Research Foundation to boost workforce development in the defense industry, has received a $5 million grant.

Christian Cowan, a Jamestown resident who serves as the foundation’s executive director, said he is “thrilled” about the money from the U.S. Department of Defense.

“Manufacturers supporting the defense supply chain have seen an increase in demand and have expressed the need for automation and data analytics,” he said.

R.I. MADE, which is an acronym for Rhode Island Manufacturing to Accelerate the Defense Ecosystem, is a designated “defense manufacturing community” by the DOD’s Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation. Recognized communities are eligible for federal grants to “support long-term community investments that strengthen national security innovation and expand the capabilities of the defense manufacturing industrial ecosystem.”

According to a study from Polaris MEP, a business unit of the URI foundation, the defense industry creates more than $5 billion in economic impact in Rhode Island.

The consortium was one of only six applicants selected as a defense manufacturing community in 2022.

R.I. MADE will use the money to launch the “Assessment to Execution” program, which will offer technical assistance and capital investments to improve risk mitigation, business practices, cybersecurity, robotics and automation to more than 12 dozen companies. Each company will receive up to $50,000 to draw on the expertise of faculty and students at URI. Teams will function as consultants, providing assessments and working with companies to execute on the recommendations coming out of those assessments, from training to acquiring equipment.

Jamestown resident Erik Brine, who serves as director of defense research at URI, said the grant will provide these companies with the opportunity “to obtain valuable assistance and expertise to strengthen their companies.”

“At the same time, we’re conducting workforce development and providing an opportunity for students … to leverage their knowledge and gain meaningful work experience that they can use to transition into full-time employment in their field,” he said.

The program will begin this spring. Faculty and students then will be divided into teams, and receive training.

“It’s a good way to pull expertise from outside of the state from two organizations well-known for their proficiency in these areas and to impart some of that knowledge on our teams that will then help take these local companies to the next level,” Brine said.