NSF Engines Development Award: Advancing space technologies (CO)

Award ID: 2308142

This NSF Regional Innovation Engines Development Award is focused on igniting technological innovation and workforce development to foster technology commercialization and technology transfer in space systems, space infrastructure, and space cybersecurity for the space economy. Based in Colorado Springs, this development award for the Resilient Space Infrastructures, Systems, and Economy (RISE) project has core partners in the Colorado Springs Chamber & EDC, Exponential Impact, National Cybersecurity Center, Pikes Peak State College, Space Foundation, Space Information Sharing and Analysis Center (ISAC), U.S. Air Force Academy (USAFA), and University of Colorado, Colorado Springs. Spanning private, public, and nonprofit sectors, each partner organization brings unique capabilities to inform and grow the vast space ecosystem in Southern Colorado. Through this development award, relationships among core partners will be formalized, and anticipated partner growth will expand beyond the Pikes Peak region further into Southern Colorado to include Pueblo, Trinidad, and Caon City and possibly into surrounding states. The RISE project will be propelled by and organized across three key pillars: 1) Technological Innovation, 2) Commercialization Acceleration, and 3) Community, Policy, and Workforce Building. The Technological Innovation pillar will act as the research and development arm of RISE. During the Type-1 period, this pillar will organize two workshops to leverage nationwide expertise to develop further specific goals of the pillar, which include the creation of a full stack of space resilience capabilities, creating, maintaining, and running a digital twin of space infrastructures and systems; space resilience standardization and management; and space resilience certification. The Commercialization Acceleration pillar will focus development activities on market research, exploring regional gaps and industry needs, and testing potential innovation pathways to support the development of a strategic plan and building blocks for the type-2 proposal. To ensure the scope and strategic plan are aligned with the market needs and regional culture, the pillar will run emerging tech workshops, focus groups, and human capital support projects. The Workforce Development pillar will leverage existing ties to the local, state, and national policymakers to develop a framework of existing policies and advance channels to create influence on policy decisions in later phases. Community and policy work through this pillar seeks to directly benefit the research and startups emerging from the engine and support existing space companies in the region. With a leadership team comprising representatives from each pillar, development activities will be synchronized across pillars leading to the development of a full NSF Engines proposal. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

NSF Program Director: Hina Mehta