Scott Broughton – UofL News Thu, 16 Apr 2026 19:59:09 +0000 en-US hourly 1 UofL awarded $13 million to launch statewide manufacturing resource center /post/uofltoday/uofl-awarded-13-million-to-launch-statewide-manufacturing-resource-center/ Tue, 13 Dec 2022 21:44:33 +0000 /?p=57825 The University of Louisville has been awarded up to $13 million from the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) to launch a new statewide manufacturing resource center.
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The center, known as the Kentucky Manufacturing Extension Partnership (KMEP), will sit in the UofL and leverage university expertise and capacity to provide research, business development, access to talent and other supports. The goal is to help manufacturers boost productivity, retain and create jobs and compete in new markets here and abroad.
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“This competitively won grant illustrates the confidence that the University of Louisville holds in the research and development sphere,” said UofL Interim President Lori Stewart Gonzalez. “Business and industry leaders – from CEOs at multinational corporations to entrepreneurs ramping up operations on their first viable idea – know that UofL has the resources they can draw upon to take ideas from concept to reality.
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“The Kentucky Manufacturing Extension Partnership will help small- and medium-sized businesses accelerate and strengthen growth and competitiveness in the global marketplace.”
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KMEP is part of theĚýMEP National Network, led by the DOC’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The network is meant to strengthen and empower U.S. manufacturers and is composed of 51 MEP Centers located in all 50 states and Puerto Rico.ĚýUofL will host Kentucky’s MEP after a competitive selection process.
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UofL Executive Vice President for Research and Innovation announces the new Kentucky Manufacturing Extension Partnership, which will be housed in his office. More photos from the press conference .

“As a research powerhouse institution, UofL is committed to making a meaningful impact on the economy of the Commonwealth,” said Kevin Gardner, executive vice president for research and innovation. “Through KMEP, we will leverage the resources of our campus to help Kentucky manufacturers grow and thrive.”
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KMEP will be led by , director of manufacturing engagement in the Office of Research and Innovation. Broughton has extensive experience in manufacturing and business development and led the state’s previous extension partnership.
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“UofL has vast resources, technologies, capabilities, training in operational improvement, etc. that manufacturers simply do not know are available to them,” Broughton said. “Through the Kentucky Manufacturing Extension Partnership, I look forward to connecting manufacturers with those resources to solve problems and innovate.”
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The center, he said, will work closely with UofL’s prominent manufacturing-related research centers, including the ) and the , as well as its experts in fields across the campus.ĚýUofL also has previously received numerous grants aimed at programming to help manufacturers adopt additive manufacturing and the smart, connected technologies of .
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“One of our driving goals is to build supports, like these, to better connect with and serve our industrial partners,” said Will Metcalf, associate vice president for research and innovation. “KMEP is another step toward that goal, and we look forward to being a resource for Kentucky manufacturers.”
]]> UofL hires new liaison to connect manufacturers with campus /post/uofltoday/uofl-hires-new-liaison-to-connect-manufacturers-with-campus/ Tue, 15 Mar 2022 18:37:04 +0000 /?p=55906 The University of Louisville has hired a new industry liaison to connect manufacturers to campus resources for research, prototyping and development.Ěý

Scott Broughton, UofL’s new director of manufacturing engagement in the , will work closely with UofL researchers and groups focused on 3D-printing, energy, robotics and other cutting-edge areas that could help manufacturers innovate and grow.Ěý

Broughton comes to UofL from the Advantage Kentucky Alliance (AKA), where he previously was director of the state’s manufacturing extension partnership. UofL News recently had the chance to talk to Broughton about what’s new and next in manufacturing, and why he’s excited to connect industry with UofL.Ěý

UofL News: This is a new role – what excites you about connecting manufacturers with UofL?

Broughton: What excites me most is being the conduit itself. What I mean by that is UofL has vast resources, technologies, capabilities, training in operational improvement, etc. that manufacturers simply do not know are available to them. For example, our ) and the .

I am excited about connecting manufacturers’ needs to UofL solutions. Manufacturers have a need for embedding new technologies into their processes and bringing in new employees. I am excited to show them how UofL is the perfect fit to be able to do both; the use of new technologies without the investment costs of buying the equipment as well as talented, well-trained UofL graduates looking to start their careers.

UofL News: Can you give a few examples of ways UofL’s helped manufacturers in the past?Ěý

Broughton: Too many to count! One is how we allow manufacturers, startups and others to leverage our research capability as a one-stop shop for product development — from concept drawing through fully manufactured part through hiring your next great innovation engineer. Ěý

Another one I’m really excited about is our Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities (APLU)-backed program, Accelerated Innovative Manufacturing with 3D Printing, or AIM-3DP. That program provides small and medium manufacturers in the automotive and aerospace sectors with training, mentorship, consulting,Ěýresearch and development. Some of the manufacturers we’re working with would not have been able to do this work in the past without access to UofL expertise and resources in the latest technologies, like 3D printing and additive manufacturing.

UofL News: You mentioned new technologies – how are these changing the landscape for manufacturers?

Broughton:ĚýNew technologies are, of course, changing the way manufacturing is done; additive manufacturing/3D-printing can make prototyping and parts manufacturing less expensive and quicker, for example, and robotics and artificial intelligence can make things more efficient and safer. But currently, the No. 1 issue is workforce. The latest change-drivers in manufacturing are focused on trying to resolve that dilemma – both in terms of optimizing workflows by integrating these technologies and hiring employees trained to use these advanced technologies.Ěý

UofL News: How can using these technologies help industry?Ěý

Broughton: In several ways. One is that these smart technologies, like artificial intelligence, can help prevent mistakes. In today’s competitive market, we can not afford quality issues and stay competitive. Another, is that these technologies offer new ways to manufacture. Additive manufacturing and 3D-printing, for example, enable us to create parts not possible to produce any other way, nonetheless as quickly. The benefits of using these technologies are near limitless, from improving safety, to preventing errors, to reducing costs, to a thousand other things. These cutting-edge technologies can help manufacturers to innovate, optimize, build and grow.Ěý

You can contact Scott Broughton atĚýscott.broughton@louisville.edu.

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