Cornerstone’s Role in Launching the Virtual Center of Excellence: Building the Infrastructure for AM Collaboration
- Feb 24
- 3 min read
On February 18, leaders from across industry, government, and academia gathered at the MakerSpace at The University of Texas at San Antonio for the inaugural Virtual Center of Excellence (VCOE) event. Cornerstone Project Management was proud to help architect, facilitate, and support this milestone moment for the nation’s additive manufacturing (AM) ecosystem.
For years, the AM community has recognized the need for a structured, repeatable mechanism to align stakeholders, accelerate qualification, and translate innovation into fielded capability. The VCOE represents a tangible step toward that future — and Cornerstone is committed to helping build the processes, tools, and connective tissue that make it real.
Why Cornerstone Is Involved
Cornerstone’s mission has always centered on disciplined execution, cross‑functional alignment, and sponsor‑ready program management. The VCOE initiative aligns directly with that purpose.
The AM ecosystem is rich with talent and innovation, but fragmented in execution. Organizations often face similar challenges — qualification pathways, data requirements, sustainment integration, workforce readiness — yet tackle them in isolation. The VCOE was designed to change that by creating a national framework for collaboration.
Cornerstone’s role is to help ensure that framework is:
Structured enough to drive measurable progress
Flexible enough to support diverse stakeholders
Repeatable across events, regions, and missions
Aligned with the needs of the warfighter and the defense industrial base
Our team supported the event design, breakout architecture, facilitation materials, and post‑event engagement strategy — all with the goal of turning a one‑day gathering into a long‑term engine for capability development.
A Successful Launch Event
The inaugural VCOE event brought together a diverse group of leaders representing OEMs, small businesses, academia, government program offices, and technical experts. The level of engagement exceeded expectations, with participants leaning into candid discussions about barriers, opportunities, and the actions required to accelerate AM adoption.
Key themes emerged throughout the day:
The need for shared qualification frameworks
The importance of data transparency and interoperability
The value of regional collaboration hubs
The urgency of workforce development and sustainment integration
The opportunity to connect existing efforts rather than recreate them
Cornerstone helped shape these conversations into actionable next steps — steps that will be tracked and supported in the months ahead.
Introducing the AMVCOE Portal
A major component of the VCOE initiative is the launch of AMVCOE.com, a digital portal designed to serve as the ecosystem’s central hub.
The portal will evolve into a platform that includes:
Community forums for technical and programmatic collaboration
Qualification resources and standards mapping
Event materials, worksheets, and dependency frameworks
Opportunities for industry, academia, and government to connect
A growing library of AM insights, case studies, and best practices
Cornerstone is actively supporting the development and refinement of this platform to ensure it becomes a practical, high‑value resource for the community.
What Comes Next
The VCOE is not a one‑time event — it is the beginning of a national effort to strengthen the defense industrial base through coordinated AM advancement.
Cornerstone will continue to support:
Follow‑up engagement with event participants
Development of qualification tools, worksheets, and frameworks
Expansion of the AMVCOE portal
Planning and execution of future VCOE events across the country
Alignment with sponsors, government stakeholders, and industry partners
Our commitment is simple: help turn momentum into measurable progress.
A Thank You to Our Partners
We extend our appreciation to the sponsors and partners who made the launch event possible, including Colibrium Additive, KVG, Crux Defense, the UTSA MakerSpace team, the Texas Manufacturing Assistance Center, and keynote speaker Mr. Michael Roquemore. Their leadership and support helped set the tone for a high‑impact day.
Cornerstone’s Perspective
At Cornerstone, we believe the future of AM in the defense industrial base depends on more than technology — it depends on alignment, clarity, and disciplined execution. The VCOE is a vehicle for that alignment, and we are honored to help build it alongside such a committed community.
This is only the beginning, and we look forward to continuing the work with all of you.
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