Advanced manufacturing research facilities: Strategic infrastructure for innovation and workforce readiness

Research facility planners face mounting pressure to create adaptive spaces that simultaneously address national manufacturing competitiveness, workforce development imperatives, and rapidly evolving technology integration. This presentation delivers actionable insights from Arizona State University's ISTB12, demonstrating how strategic facility design transforms advanced manufacturing research infrastructure into collaborative ecosystems. Presenters reveal integrated approaches to specialized labs spanning additive manufacturing, robotics, cyber manufacturing, semiconductors, and energy sectors while establishing frameworks that connect industrial partners and peer institutions. They deliver evidence-based strategies for implementing flexible, sustainable research environments that respond to shifting funding priorities, accommodate emerging technologies, and build critical workforce pipelines—essential considerations as institutions navigate constrained budgets and accelerated innovation cycles.