$43 million invested to foster regional collaboration to support the economic growth of communities through innovation
Universities, nonprofits, businesses and other organizations across the U.S. and territories are the recipients of $43 million in investments made by the NSF, as part of its Regional Innovation Engines Development Awards. These first-time awards were given to 44 teams around the country tasked with driving American innovation into the future.
NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan commented on the foundation that these awards will be creating for the establishment and growth innovation hubs and future NSF Engines.
“These awardees are part of the fabric of NSF’s vision to create opportunities everywhere and enable innovation anywhere. They will build robust regional partnerships rooted in scientific and technological innovation in every part of our nation,” said Panchanathan. “Through these planning awards, NSF is seeding the future for in-place innovation in communities and to grow their regional economies through research and partnerships. This will unleash ideas, talent, pathways and resources to create vibrant innovation ecosystems all across our nation.”
Over two years each awardee team will receive up to $1 million and be tasked to help transform U.S. innovation with the goal of keeping the country in the “vanguard of competitiveness for decades to come”.
The award recipients are a broad range of states and regions that have not fully participated in the technology boom of the past decades. The goal is for these organizations to establish connections and develop their local innovation ecosystem that will lead to a strong proposal of becoming a future NSF Engine. Those selected will receive up to $160 million.
Three of the 44 awardees include:
New Jersey-based Princeton University in the areas of semiconductor/hpc, advanced manufacturing, quantum tech, advanced materials, advanced communication tech, energy and industrial efficiency tech,
Florida–based Astro America in the areas of Big Data, Cyber Security, Advanced Materials, Energy & Industrial Efficiency Tech and Advanced Manufacturing, and
California–based Southern California Tribal Chairmen’s Association in the areas of Advanced Manufacturing, Disaster Mitigation/Prevention, Energy & Industrial Efficiency Tech, among others.
NSF Engines Development Awards (Type-1 awards) of those just announced over a two year period receive $1 million, while Type-2 awards will provide up to $160 million for up to 10 years. This coming fall the first round of Type-2 awards are expected to be announced that will fund NSF Engines across three distinct phases — the nascent, emergent and growth phases.
The NSF Engines program was launched by NSF’s new Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships and authorized by the “CHIPS and Science Act of 2022”.
With this support and direction from NSF awardees will catalyze robust partnerships within their designated region, leading to economic growth aligned with the addressing of societal challenges, advancing of national competitiveness and the creation of local, high-wage jobs.
