The Army wants to establish an advanced manufacturing and applied research center, which would include partnerships with academia and university-affiliated nonprofits, according to a draft call for solutions posted Tuesday.

The center would perform research “internally and from external sources to align with Army and [Defense Department] strategies,” while transitioning technologies to the organic industrial base, “as well as Army and joint service stakeholders,” according to the service.

Having a central advanced manufacturing research hub is meant to help the Army and DOD align various strategic goals, such as contested logistics, distributed manufacturing and scaling up key technologies such as robotic automation that will be used in munitions, and artificial intelligence-driven manufacturing methods.

Areas of focus at the center would include:

• R&D of processes that support large-scale additive techniques for air and ground domain system applications
• R&D of advanced manufacturing processes that enable composite materials to function at high operating temperatures
• Design and development of new materials
• R&D of high temperatures resins

For several months, the Army has been in the process of trying to partner with the private sector and academic institutions as part of a broader initiative to modernize the organic industrial base.

With a hub for advanced manufacturing research and development, the Army is attempting to wean itself off of 20th century production methods, such as single-purpose production lines, according to the Army.

“To achieve manufacturing overmatch, the Army must pioneer new production platforms that are inherently flexible, modular, and intelligent. This requires a fundamental shift from separated, sequential processes to integrated, hybrid manufacturing systems that can autonomously adapt to produce a high mix of components with assured quality,” the notice states.