Innovation Initiative

NSF ENGINES: COLORADO - WYOMING CLIMATE RESILIENCE ENGINE -THE COLORADO - WYOMING CLIMATE RESILIENCE ENGINE WILL ADVANCE OUR NATION'S CAPACITY FOR INNOVATION IN CLIMATE TECHNOLOGIES. THIS NSF ENGINE IS A REGIONAL TEAM WORKING TO CREATE CONSISTENT, RELIABLE, AND TRUSTWORTHY SYSTEMS THAT WILL SUPPORT COMMUNITIES TO MONITOR, MITIGATE AND ADAPT TO CLIMATE IMPACTS. RESEARCH AND COMMERCIALIZATION EFFORTS WILL FOCUS ON SENSING, MONITORING, AND PREDICTIVE ANALYTIC TECHNOLOGIES FOR CLIMATE RESILIENCY ACROSS SEVERAL TOPICS INCLUDING METHANE EMISSIONS, SOIL CARBON CAPTURE, EARTH SENSING, WATER SCARCITY, WILDFIRES, AND EXTREME WEATHER. THE NSF ENGINE WILL NOT ONLY DEVELOP INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS TO CLIMATE CHALLENGES, BUT WILL ALSO GROW THE LABOR FORCE EQUITABLY AND INCLUSIVELY; POWER INNOVATIVE PATHWAYS TOWARD CLIMATE RESILIENCY BY UTILIZING DATA, PREDICTIVE MODELING AND CUTTING EDGE TECHNOLOGIES; FOCUS ON RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION FROM RURAL COMMUNITIES AND THOSE TRADITIONALLY UNDERREPRESENTED; AND DRIVE ECONOMIC GROWTH THROUGH PROGRAMS IN USE-INSPIRED RESEARCH, WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, TRANSLATION OF PRODUCTS, AND STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS. OFFICIALS IN BOTH STATES HAVE RECOGNIZED THE OPPORTUNITY OF THE NSF ENGINE TO TRANSFORM THE REGION INTO A NATIONAL LEADER IN DEVELOPING AND COMMERCIALIZING ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND CLIMATE-RESILIENT TECHNOLOGIES, AS BOTH STATES HAVE A COMMITMENT TO ADDRESS CLIMATE-RELATED CHALLENGES FACED BY COMMUNITIES OF THIS REGION. THE NSF ENGINE HAS THE POTENTIAL TO INCREASE THE NATION'S ABILITY TO COMPETE ON A GLOBAL STAGE AS THE WORLD RACES TO FIND TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS TO THE WORLD'S GREATEST CLIMATE CHALLENGES WHILE ALSO UNLOCKING REGIONAL ECONOMIC GROWTH AND CREATING OPPORTUNITIES. IN ADDITION TO THE SIGNIFICANT NATIONAL IMPACTS, THE NSF ENGINE HAS THE POTENTIAL TO CREATE NEW JOBS AND TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES IN CLIMATE TECHNOLOGY, PARTICULARLY FOR HISTORICALLY UNDERSERVED, TRIBAL, AND RURAL COMMUNITIES WITHIN THE REGION OF SERVICE. IF SUCCESSFUL, THE INNOVATION ECOSYSTEM DRIVEN BY THE NSF ENGINE WILL ACCELERATE MARKET-READY, GLOBALLY SCALABLE SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATIONS THAT EMPOWER COMMUNITIES, GOVERNMENTS, AND INDUSTRY TO PREVENT, MITIGATE, PREPARE, RESPOND TO, AND RECOVER FROM CLIMATE-RELATED EVENTS EXACERBATED BY ARIDIFICATION, INCLUDING DROUGHT, WILDFIRE, STORMS, AND FLOODS. THE NSF ENGINE WILL ALSO CREATE NEW TECHNOLOGY STARTUPS THAT SOLVE INDUSTRY NEEDS, BRINGING WITH IT NEW JOBS, OPPORTUNITIES, AND ECONOMIC PROSPERITY FOR THE STATES OF COLORADO AND WYOMING. THE COLORADO ? WYOMING CLIMATE RESILIENCE ENGINE HAS A REGION OF SERVICE THAT SPANS ALL OF COLORADO AND WYOMING AND INCLUDES A LARGE ECOSYSTEM OF CORE PARTNERS THAT ARE ESSENTIAL TO THE NSF ENGINE'S SUCCESS: LARGE CORPORATIONS; UNIVERSITIES (INCLUDING FOUR- AND TWO-YEAR ACADEMIC INSTITUTIONS, TRIBAL COLLEGES, AND HISPANIC-SERVING INSTITUTIONS); ECONOMIC AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATIONS; NON-PROFITS; AND INVESTMENT FIRMS. THIS DIVERSE COALITION OF PARTNERS WILL BE CENTRAL TO R&D, TRANSLATION OF TECHNOLOGY TO COMMERCIALIZATION, AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT EFFORTS. THE NSF ENGINE WILL FOCUS ON ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING TECHNOLOGIES AND PREDICTIVE ANALYTICS FOR CLIMATE RESILIENCY. THE NSF ENGINE WILL WORK WITH CORE PARTNERS AND STAKEHOLDERS INCLUDING COMMUNITY MEMBERS, RESEARCHERS, AND INDUSTRY PARTNERS TO PRIORITIZE R&D INITIATIVES THAT WILL BUILD MORE CLIMATE-RESILIENT COMMUNITIES, ADDRESS USER NEEDS, AND DEMONSTRATE MARKET POTENTIAL THROUGH AN INTEGRATED CO-PRODUCTION PROCESS. THE RESEARCH AND TRANSLATION GOALS OF THE NSF ENGINE ARE TO: (1) ACCELERATE COMMUNITY-DRIVEN R&D IN MONITORING TECHNOLOGIES AND PREDICTIVE ANALYTICS FOR CLIMATE-RESILIENT COMMUNITIES; (2) DE-RISK TRANSLATIONAL PROJECTS WITH ACCELERATOR PROGRAMS AND RAPIDLY SCALING PROMISING INNOVATIONS; AND (3) GENERATE AND ATTRACT MORE SUBSTANTIAL INVESTMENTS, TECHNOLOGIES, AND STARTUPS TO BUILD A SUSTAINABLE NSF ENGINE THAT WILL NURTURE A DIVERSE, SKILLED WORKFORCE FOR A CLIMATE-TECH INNOVATION ECOSYSTEM ACROSS COLORADO AND WYOMING. COLLECTIVELY, THESE GOALS WILL ENABLE THE REGION TO BECOME A GLOBAL LEADER IN INNOVATIONS FOR CLIMATE RESILIENCY AND ACCELERATE REGIONAL ECONOMIC GROWTH. THE LEADERSHIP TEAM BRINGS DEEP EXPERTISE ACROSS ALL CORE FUNCTIONS OF THE NSF ENGINE TO ENSURE THE NSF ENGINE GOALS ARE MET. THIS EXPERTISE INCLUDES CLIMATE SCIENCE AND DATA ANALYTICS, TECHNOLOGY COMMERCIALIZATION, ENTREPRENEURSHIP, SMALL BUSINESS MANAGEMENT, AND DEVELOPMENT OF SUSTAINABLE PARTNERSHIPS ACROSS HIGHER EDUCATION, INDUSTRY, COMMUNITY, AND GOVERNMENT. THE NSF ENGINE HAS ENGAGED ECONOMIC AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATIONS, INDUSTRY, NATIONAL LABS, AND TECHNICAL COLLEGES ACROSS COLORADO AND WYOMING TO BUILD TRAINING AND MENTORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES. SPECIFIC ACTIVITIES INCLUDE A RANGE OF WORK-BASED LEARNING PROGRAMS, TALENT MATCHING PROGRAMS TO CONNECT EMPLOYERS TO FUTURE EMPLOYEES, AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF CREDENTIAL PROGRAMS FOR A CLIMATE SCIENCE WORKFORCE. WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES WILL PRIORITIZE RURAL AND HISTORICALLY UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES WITHIN THE REGION OF SERVICE. THE COLORADO ? WYOMING CLIMATE RESILIENCE ENGINE HAS BROUGHT TOGETHER A STRONG COALITION OF PARTNERS AND IDENTIFIED STRONG ALIGNMENT WITH REGIONAL ASSETS AND PRIORITIES. THE NSF ENGINE HAS IDENTIFIED CRITICAL R&D TOPIC AREAS THAT MUST BE ADVANCED TO BUILD CLIMATE-RESILIENT COMMUNITIES WORLDWIDE. IT WILL SUPPORT R&D AND TRANSLATIONAL ACTIVITIES TO CULTIVATE AN INNOVATIVE ECOSYSTEM OF TECHNOLOGY COMPANIES FOCUSED ON CLIMATE SCIENCE, WHILE ALSO DRIVING ECONOMIC GROWTH THROUGH JOB CREATION AND TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES. 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.- SUBAWARDS ARE PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

THE GRAVITY OF THE THREATS POSED BY THE TRADE IN NEOTROPICAL SONGBIRDS FOR COMPETITIVE KEEPING IN THE SOUTHERN CARIBBEAN AND GUIANA SHIELD (SCGS) AND COMMUNITIES ABROAD DEMANDS INNOVATIVE CONCERTED AND COLLABORATIVE RESPONSES. TO MEET THIS DEMAND, SUSTAINABLE INNOVATION INITIATIVES INC. (SII), IN PARTNERSHIP WITH GREEN HERITAGE FUND SURINAME (GHFS), WILDLIFE PEOPLE SURINAME (WPS), AND THE UNIVERSITY OF THE WEST INDIES SCHOOL OF VETERINARY MEDICINE (SVM), SHALL RESEARCH AND ADDRESS THE TRADE IN SONGBIRDS FOR SINGING COMPETITIONS IN TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO AND SURINAME. THE CONSORTIUM WILL CONDUCT THE FOLLOWING ACTIVITIES: 1. SONGBIRD HEALTH AND WELFARE ASSESSMENT IN TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO, 2. SYNTHESIS OF EXISTING DATA ON THE DECLINE OF WILD SONGBIRDS IN TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO AND SURINAME 3. TRADE RESEARCH FOR MAPPING AND UNDERSTANDING IN TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO AND SURINAME, 4. LEGAL REVIEW OF EXISTING LAWS IN TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO AND SURINAME, AND 5. COALITION-BUILDING AND STRATEGIC PLANNING IN TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO AND SURINAME. IMPORTANTLY, THIS PROJECT IS DESIGNED TO COMPLEMENT A PARALLEL PROJECT LED BY THE INTERNATIONAL FUND FOR ANIMAL WELFARE (IFAW).

THIS EDA INVESTMENT SUPPORTS THE COLORADO COALITION, LED BY INNOSPHERE VENTURE, WITH THEIR PROPOSAL TO GROW THE COLORADO FRONT RANGE REGIONS INTENSIVE R&D GROWTH CLUSTER IN STEM TO RAPIDLY SCALE THE LOCAL BIOSCIENCES AND CLEANTECH INDUSTRIES. IF PROVIDED AN IMPLEMENTATION GRANT, THE COALITION PROPOSES TO DEVELOP SIX CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS; GROW CLUSTER EMPLOYMENT, PARTICULARLY FOCUSED ON GROWING THE REGION'S BLACK AND LATINX WORKFORCE; AND INCUBATE STEM STARTUP VENTURES, ESPECIALLY INCREASING THOSE OWNED BY PEOPLE OF COLOR.

INNOSPHERE FUND II: COLORADO???S SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY SEED FUND. INNOSPHERE WILL LAUNCH ITS SECOND SEED STAGE VENTURE CAPITAL FUND TO ADDRESS THE LACK OF EARLY STAGE EQUITY CAPITAL IN COLORADO.

THE PURPOSE OF THIS PROJECT IS TO REDUCE THE ILLEGAL WILDLIFE TRADE IN TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO BY LAUNCHING A TARGETED, COALITION-BASED BEHAVIOR CHANGE CAMPAIGN TO REDUCE DEMAND FOR ILLEGAL PET WILDLIFE. THIS PROJECT IS INTENDED TO CHANGE CONSUMER BEHAVIOR TO REDUCE THE DEMAND FOR ILLEGAL PET WILDLIFE FROM SOUTH AMERICA, AND TO FOSTER CONSERVATION LEADERSHIP AND PUBLIC INTEREST TO PROTECT NATIVE NEOTROPICAL FAUNA, DOMESTIC AGRICULTURE, PUBLIC HEALTH, AND FIVE PROTECTED AREAS FROM POACHING, INVASIVE SPECIES INTRODUCTIONS, AND ZOONOTIC DISEASE TRANSMISSION. SPECIFIC PROJECT ACTIVITIES CONSIST OF: (1) PRODUCTION OF CONSUMER-TESTED WEBSITE, ADVERTISEMENTS, AND EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS TO INFORM AND INCENTIVIZE BEHAVIOR CHANGE AMONG PET BUYERS, PET KEEPERS, AND THEIR UPSTREAM INFLUENCERS; (2) DEVELOPMENT OF SCIENCE- AND RISK-BASED PET WILDLIFE RECOMMENDATIONS TO REDUCE LEGAL AND ETHICAL CONFUSION AMONG TARGET AUDIENCES AND CONSERVATION LEADERS; (3) SUSTAINED DELIVERY OF WEB-CONTENT, ADVERTISING, AND EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES THROUGH MULTIPLE CHANNELS; (4) CONDUCT MIXED-METHODS EVALUATION OF CAMPAIGN IMPACTS AMONG PET BUYERS, PET KEEPERS, AND UPSTREAM INFLUENCERS; (5) IMPLEMENT A CAMPAIGN 'LEGACY' WORKSHOP AMONG COALITION PARTNERS FOR CONTINUED COLLABORATION AND/OR CAMPAIGN DIVESTITURE; AND (6) ESTABLISHMENT OF A COALITION OF INFLUENTIAL ORGANIZATIONS TO LAUNCH A SECOND TARGETED, COALITION-BASED BEHAVIOR CHANGE CAMPAIGN TO REDUCE ILLEGAL BUSHMEAT CONSUMPTION.