A bipartisan bill that would designate 25 manufacturing universities across the country and give each one $20 million over four years to step up advanced manufacturing in engineering programs was introduced Wednesday in Congress by lawmakers, including U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.).

The bill would provide incentives for universities to focus engineering programs on manufacturing, build new partnerships with manufacturing firms in their region, increase training opportunities and foster manufacturing entrepreneurship, according to Baldwin.

The skills gap repeatedly cited by employers who can't fill jobs is evidence that educational offerings need to better align with needs of manufacturers, she said.

"All of our institutions of higher learning play a role in that," Baldwin said in an interview with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, referring to technical colleges, two-year colleges and four-year universities.

The bill also bolsters "who's going to do the research and development for innovation that allows a company to grow," she said.

"We're making a distinction between people who will enter manufacturing careers in a research and development department vs. on the front line."

Wisconsin consistently ranks among the nation's top states for manufacturing. Manufacturing contributes $50 billion to the state's economic output.

More than 9,400 manufacturers in Wisconsin employ some 450,000 workers — nearly 17% of the state's workforce. Paper, printing and plastics are among the major manufacturing industries.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison is among 20 universities on record as supporting the bill. Being listed as a supporter doesn't mean UW-Madison automatically would be among the 25 manufacturing universities, according to Baldwin.

Universities would have to apply for the designation and the money from a program that would be within the Commerce Department's National Institute of Standards and Technology.

If the bill is approved by Congress, universities selected "have to have in place the collaborative relationships with regional manufacturing industries," Baldwin said.

The program ideally would help develop a talent pool of engineers to generate innovation in manufacturing, and increase the number of joint projects between universities and manufacturing firms in their region, Baldwin said.

Both UW-Madison and UW-Milwaukee released statements Wednesday in support of the legislation.

"UWM has a long history of working with manufacturers throughout the state, helping them to stay competitive in our global economy," said Tom Luljak, vice chancellor of university relations and communications.

"In particular, our efforts around advanced manufacturing, new lightweight materials and energy storage systems have benefited Wisconsin industries," Luljak said.

The bipartisan bill highlights the important role public research universities like UW-Madison can play in helping expand Wisconsin's economy and create high-paying jobs, said Ian Robertson, dean of the UW-Madison College of Engineering.

Robertson said the college recently launched initiatives in this research area, and that the bill could help UW-Madison expand and strengthen those initiatives.

The $5 million per year for four years given to each manufacturing university could cover the cost of equipment and facilities, nurture interdisciplinary programs related to manufacturing, and perhaps even support hiring of faculty, according to Baldwin.