As part of NCOE’s commitment to better serve its membership and the greater community of people and organizations striving to improve the quality of their activities, NCOE offers a range of consulting services. Most of these services focus on providing you assistance in facilitating the transfer of technology into commercialization of a competitive product or service. However, NCOE has a very large network of professional service providers, including strong affiliation with the national network of Manufacturing Extension Partnership centers and engineers. If you feel that some activity you are involved in might benefit from involving one or more NCOE consulting affiliates, please contact NCOE to explore the possibilities. There is no charge for this needs analysis and initial discovery service.

Professional Services
The National Centers of Excellence has access through its contacts and network associates to over 1,400 very experienced private consultants on a wide range of technology, engineering, management and product development capabilities. If you would like to access one or more of these consultants for possible assistance with a project or activity, please contact NCOE and briefly indicate your need. An appropriate contact and follow-up will be arranged. There is absolutely no obligation on your part to enter into a contract as the result of simply investigating the possible use of NCOE-arranged professional services. Your contact and other data will be held in strictest confidence by NCOE and its affiliated professionals. Non-disclosure agreements will be honored if required.

Example of Services
In late 2004 the MEP Utah organization became aware of some limited one-time grant funding at the Economic Development Administration that might be used to develop a web-based “virtual industrial park.” NCOE through one of its professional consulting contacts was able to facilitate getting a successful proposal written, contract awarded, and the first phase of the new Virtual Industrial Park – Enhanced Resources (VIP-ER) system developed in less than 60 days. Below is a schematic of how this powerful new needs assessment, action planning and online consulting and project fulfillment system works.

For more information on the new VIP-ER system, including access to a PowerPoint presentation that explains its innovative features and extraordinary capabilities, please contact NCOE.